


Stranger Danger

by kathiplier



Category: mark fischbach - Fandom
Genre: Cute, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fun, I'm Sorry, Markiplier/OC - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Play Fighting, Romance, Slow To Update, Tags Are Hard, Tags Contain Spoilers, romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-09 06:44:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 73,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12882339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathiplier/pseuds/kathiplier
Summary: Markiplier finds your Instagram profile, and requests to follow you.  The two of you begin talking, and eventually meet up.  Will this blossom into love, or end in a blazing fire?





	1. Prologue

In hindsight, there isn’t much I could’ve done. I mean, your social media profiles are on the Internet, for anyone to find and/or follow. You can’t just restrict your page so only certain people can find it. That’d take eons, considering there’s hundreds of millions of people on the Internet, daily.

Personally, I kept my page on private, so I could approve who could and couldn’t see what I posted. I had 543 followers, so I wasn’t too picky, but there were sketchy ones here and there that I denied access. 

I honestly couldn’t have been prepared for June 4th. I’d just gotten home for the summer following my second year of college, and I had two new follower requests. I assumed it was my roommates’ friends, since I’d given a few of them my Instagram handle before taking off for home. 

I pulled up the follower requests, ready to look them over, and I’m fairly sure my heart skipped approximately seven beats.  
Because there, on my iPhone 6s screen, was a follow request from Markiplier.


	2. Homecomings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You come home from college to family, friends, and a new Instagram follow request.

“Y/N, we’re gonna miss you so much!!” Iris cried, her voice cracking. We’d just spent eight months living together, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tearing up myself.

“I’ll be able to fly out to see you for the 4th of July, remember? And I’m staying with you for a whole week,” I reminded her, even though I was definitely equally reassuring myself.

“I know, but that’s a whole month!” she mumbled, her red hair moving to cover her face.

“We can Skype and FaceTime as much as you want, alright? As long as I’m not working,” I assured her.

“Working? You didn’t say anything about a job.”

“Oh, my mom’s just gonna make me help out at the ice cream shop, just like she has every summer since I was eleven,” I said with a shrug. “She’ll pay me eight bucks an hour, and I’ll probably only work three or four days a week. And she’s my mom, she’s the one who said I could fly out to see you for the 4th, so don’t worry about scheduling issues, okay?”

“Alright,” she said, sniffling. “Can I hug you again?”

I loved Iris, with everything. And she had anxiety, meaning she couldn’t just do things on impulse, like hug me. She always asked before doing anything, even before leaving to go to the bathroom. I did my best to assure her she was never annoying me, and I was gently honest if I needed my own space. She was constantly apologizing, and even though it made my heart sad to think she thought she was always screwing up, I always assured her she had nothing to apologize for every time she said she was sorry unnecessarily. 

“Iris, love, you don’t have to ask to hug me, remember?” I said as I opened my arms. “I’ll always welcome a hug from you.”

“Okay,” she said, a hint of a smile showing as she wrapped her arms around me tightly. 

“Now, you go home and spend time with that boyfriend of yours, alright? I want every detail,” I said with a smile.

“Everything?” Iris asked, smiling back.

“Anything and everything you want to share,” I told her, hauling my suitcases into my hands. “I’ll see you on the 4th of July, Iris.”

“See you later, y/n, I love you!”

I laughed as I climbed into my blue Honda Fit. “I love you too, Iris!”

She smiled and waved as I pulled out of the parking lot, chuckling to myself. Iris was the best roommate I could’ve asked for, far better than Lily from freshman year. She was a senior, and she couldn’t have been more of a nightmare.

I plugged my phone into the AUX and turned on some music as I merged onto the freeway, beginning the two-hour drive home to Gresham, Oregon. My tenure at Oregon State University had been wonderful thus far, but I always enjoyed getting home.

Once I finally reached my house, I was greeted by my ever-eager Corgi, Stanley, whose happy barks alerted my parents of my presence.

“Y/N, you’re home!” my mother shrieked happily, engulfing me in a hug. My father was close behind, latching onto the group hug.

“How was the drive? Was the traffic bad? What about your final grades?” I chuckled at my mother’s machine gun of a mouth, and I stepped back to answer her questions.

“The drive went as it usually does, the traffic was okay once I got out of OSU territory, and I have mostly B’s, with an A in my English Literature class and a C in my Advanced Biology Studies.”

My mother sighed, and my father just smiled at me proudly. “We’re proud of you, sunshine,” she said lovingly. “Now go upstairs and unpack, we’ve got people coming for dinner.”

“Really?” I asked excitedly. “Who?”

“Your older brothers, for one. Your cousin June, who flew all the way in from Colorado just to stay with us for the weekend, and as far as I know, Allison’s gonna be here too.”

My heart leaped. My best friend, whom I hadn’t seen since before Christmas break, was gonna be here for dinner. Not to mention my favorite cousin, and my older brothers, Leo and Mitchell.

I ran upstairs and began to put my clothes away right as my phone vibrated, twice. Two new Instagram follow requests.

I picked my phone up, assuming it was a couple of Iris’s friends, since I’d given them my handle before taking off.

I pulled up Instagram, ready to approve them both, before stopping short.

One of them, @kassandra_21, was, indeed, one of Iris’s friends, whom I absolutely adored. 

The other one was not one of Iris’s friends. It wasn’t even one of my friends.

I clicked on the profile picture, and sure enough, it was him.

"Markipliergram would like to follow you."

I stood there, staring, until my phone screen went into sleep mode.

I couldn’t believe it. There’s no way. He probably hit mine by accident while he was trying to follow someone else. There’s no way he’d follow me. My profile picture  
is just me, sure, but I’m not even that pretty.

I clicked on his profile picture, and sure enough, it was the real one. I didn’t even hesitate to click “approve,” and before I could actually freak out, I forced myself to continue putting my things away. I had just managed to finish putting clothes away and had begun unpacking the two boxes that my dad had brought up from my car when my phone buzzed again.

I pulled it out of my pocket to see what the notification was.

New message from markipliergram: Hi

My heart stopped. I couldn’t even feel my own hands anymore. It couldn’t be a mistake by this point, he’d gone as far as to message me!

I pulled up the direct message, still completely astounded.

@y/i/n: hey! what’s a super popular YouTuber like you doing messaging little ol’ me? 

@markipliergram: Honestly? I stumbled across your profile through a whole bunch of my recommended profiles, and by the time I got to you I was like eighteen  
people deep and your picture was so beautiful I had to try and talk to you.

I could’ve died. I could’ve thrown up. I could’ve had an aneurysm right there on the spot. My favorite YouTuber just called me beautiful.

A sickening thought struck me: what if this was all a prank? What if he was recording this as we spoke, and I was going along just being a stupid, eager fangirl?

I responded anyway. Because duh, it was Markiplier!!

@y/i/n: really? i’m really just average…thank you, though!

@markipliergram: Oh, don’t say that. You’re really quite attractive.

I was definitely having a stroke.

@markipliergram: So, your bio says you attend Oregon State? Would you be comfortable telling me where you’re from, by any chance?

There was no harm in this, I supposed. Telling him my hometown wasn’t the same as giving him my address.

@y/i/n: um, i’m from Gresham lol

@markipliergram: Oh, neat! You ever come to L.A?

@y/i/n: no, not a lot, but my college roommate lives out there, and i’ll be going down to visit her for the 4th

@markipliergram: Oh, no way! Would you be open to meeting up?

I was definitely dreaming. I reached up and smacked myself in the forehead, which resulted in a painful stinging sensation. However, that meant I was awake!! And Markiplier, the YouTube sensation with over 18 million subscribers, was not only calling me pretty, but was asking to meet me!

@y/i/n: sure, i’d be okay with that! just let me know when and where! maybe we could even meet up and celebrate the 4th together?

@markipliergram: Absolutely! I’m looking forward to it already <3

I thought I was going to pass out for a moment. I still couldn’t believe I wasn’t, like, properly freaking out. It was all internal.

@markipliergram: Is it cool if we keep talking? I wanna get to know you before we actually get to meet each other.

@y/i/n: sure! i really can’t believe you’re actually talking to me, tbh.

@markipliergram: Sometimes I just wanna make new friends. And really pretty new friends are always a plus in my book.

@markipliergram: So, you have a Skype or something? I’d be open to video chatting sometime.

I let one slip. I couldn’t help it. I shrieked in glee as I tore across my bedroom, scooping my MacBook up into my hands and settling into my old desk chair, opening Skype faster than I ever had before.

I opened Instagram once more, shooting Mark my Skype name.

@y/i/n: my skype name is y/s/n, my profile picture is of a cat wearing a Santa hat…

@markipliergram: Your cat? Or just some Google picture?

@y/i/n: my cat, lol. Pebbles pretended to hate it, but she never let us take it off once it was on.

@markipliergram: Pebbles is an adorable name for a cat.

@y/i/n: yeah, i miss her. we had to put her down a month before i left for college this year.

@markipliergram: Oh, no, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.

@y/i/n: no, it’s alright, really. she was 13 years old, she’d lived a rich, full life.

@markipliergram: Well, I just found you on Skype, so how about we set that up?

I looked at my computer and realized he had, in fact, added me on Skype. I still couldn’t believe it, and I feared I was going to freak out once I actually saw his face  
on the screen.

I accepted his contact request, and almost immediately he was requesting a video call.

Hands shaking, I quickly fixed my hair, and clicked answer.

“Hey! Y/N, is it?”

I sat there, smiling stupidly. He was there. He was real. 

“Um…y/n? Can you hear me? Your picture isn’t moving,” came his voice again, and finally I snapped out of my reverie. 

“I can now, sorry,” I said with a breathy giggle. “Technical difficulties, you know?”

“Oh, those are always a bitch,” Mark said with a chuckle. “Anyway, how old are you?”

“I just turned 20 about a month and a half ago,” I responded.

“So, your birthday’s in May?”

“Close,” I teased. “It’s April 30th.”

“Ah, I was so close!” Mark cried jokingly, throwing his hands up in the air. “I assume you know when my birthday is?”

I laughed. “June 28th, I’ve known it since the day I subscribed.”

“Speaking of, how long have you been a member of the Iplier family?” Mark asked with a smile.

“About four years now.”

“Wow, you’ve been here a while,” he said, admiration in his eyes. “You ever watch anybody else?”

“Oh, yeah, I love Bob & Wade, and then of course PewDiePie has been a favorite for quite some time now. And that CrankGames guy, Ethan? He’s pretty cute.”

Mark threw himself back in his chair, a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “And I’m not!?”

I laughed, a for real laugh. “Of course you are, sweetie.”

Mark made a face as he looked back at me. “I hate that nickname.”

“Oh, really? Me too, I only use it sarcastically,” I said laughingly.

“Thank God, this was gonna be rough if you liked it.”

My heart flipped even though Mark didn’t seem to bat an eye at what he had said. He looked at me, and I flashed a smile back at him.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re beautiful?” he blurted.

Both of us went bright red after that statement, but I tried to clear the air. “A few guys, I suppose, and one of them ended up being my boyfriend for eight months, but nobody ever seemed too serious.”

Mark smiled, his blush lessening. “Well, I’m serious.”

My smile grew even bigger, as if that was possible. “Thank you, Mark.”

I heard the front door slam open, and my older brothers’ voices filled the stairwell.

“WHERE’S Y/N??”

Mark laughed at my terrified expression. “I’ll let you go, you seem like you have family to attend to.”

“My brothers, yes,” I admitted exasperatedly. “They’ll be bounding in any moment now.”

“Alright, well, it was lovely talking to you. I hope we can talk again soon?”

“Absolutely,” I responded. “I’m still holding you to July 4th.”

“I’ve got no problem hanging out with a pretty girl on July 4th,” he quipped, flashing me a smile. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“I’ll keep you accountable for that,” I joked.

Mark laughed as he disconnected the call.

I shut my laptop seconds before my door was thrown open and Leo and Mitchell came in.

“Good God, where’s the fire?” I asked jokingly as I stood up.

They didn’t bother to answer as they both crushed me in a hug, one I readily returned.

“You’ve gotta come home more often, y/n,” Mitch complained. “It gets boring playing Prop Hunt with no real competition.”

“Hey!” Leo objected, shoving Mitch slightly. “I’ve beaten you a total of three times!”

“Yes,” Mitch said, rolling his eyes, “and we’ve played almost every weekend for the past two months.”

“I haven’t had time to play many games,” I admitted, stepping back to talk to both of them. “I’ve played a little Amnesia, and I picked up on the whole Five Nights at Freddy’s craze, but really, the majority of my time has been spent studying. They don’t make you pay crazy amounts for textbooks for no reason.”

Mitch nodded. “We can play whatever you want all night after dinner. June’s gonna be here, too, right?”

I nodded. “For the whole weekend.”

“Nice,” Mitch responded. “Actual competition. You know, Leo, it’s kinda sad when I prefer to play against girls because they actually have a chance at beating me.”

Leo pouted as we walked downstairs, and I laughed heartily.

I had just had a Skype call with my favorite YouTuber, and now I was laughing with my brothers like I’d never left home.

Maybe my life was starting to change for the better.

In my opinion, it was really about time.


	3. 3 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Split between both POVs, you and Mark talk again, before Skyping. You reveal your official LA visit plans to Mark. Does he change them?

(Mark's POV)  
It was 3 AM. I knew very well that y/n was fast asleep.

I should’ve been. But I couldn’t get her out of my head.

Her hair, the way it seemed to just flow down, in long, shiny waves, had me mesmerized. Her eyes danced in the right lighting, as her Instagram photos showed. 

Even though I knew they were probably filtered to make her look perfect, they still didn’t give her true beauty justice. The girl I talked to over Skype, the one who laughed at my stupid jokes and smiled at me so lovingly my heart could barely take it, that was truly exquisite.

I rested my head in my hands as I laid back on my bed, the breeze from the air conditioner blowing across my bare chest. I shut my eyes, knowing sleep probably wouldn’t come. I thought of y/n, dreaming of being able to meet her in a little less than a month, and finally, unconsciousness swept me off into darkness.

My alarm went off at 8:10, signaling my need to get up and get my day started. I knew very well I had a gameplay to record and a highlights reel to edit, both the third installment of the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, and what had to be my eightieth installment of Happy Wheels. I groaned as my phone wouldn’t shut up, and I rolled over and turned off the alarm.

I opened my eyes to see the clock, and it read 9:23.

“What the fuck!?” I yelled, throwing covers off. I didn’t even remember closing my eyes again.

I took possibly the quickest shower of my life before setting everything up to record Happy Wheels.

The highlights reel turned out adequate, and I set that up on the schedule before deciding to put the FNAF gameplay off until the next day.

I logged into Skype, hoping to see the green bubble on y/n’s picture, and sure enough, there it was.

I typed her a super quick message, hoping she’d reply quickly.

Me: Hi! Fancy seeing you here :P

y/n: o rly? u sure u aren’t just stalking me??

Me: Why would I be stalking you? Besides the fact that you’re gorgeous and you laugh at my jokes.

y/n: that was a pity laugh, my good sir.

Me: I’m deeply offended. I think you owe me a box of Cheez-Its.

y/n: as much as i know you love your cheez-its, what little money I will have with me in L.A, it’s all gonna have to go to my stuff XD

Me: Hey, if you’re gonna be short on funds, I can help out with whatever you might need and/or want.

y/n: nO

Me: Why not??

y/n: i am already uncomfortable with people i’m close to spending money on me, there’s no way in hell i’m gonna let you spend money on me

Me: What if I just don’t tell you until after the thing’s been bought?

y/n: i’ll still be mad, but i mean, free stuff is free stuff.

I laughed as I read her message. She was right, as she tends to be. Free stuff is, indeed, free stuff.

Me: Well, then I just won’t tell you I’m taking you out for ice cream until the cone is in your hand.

y/n: wait…like, a date???

I cringed, hoping the underlying tone was excited and not repulsed.

Me: Duh. What kind of guy takes a pretty girl like you out for ice cream and doesn’t call it a date?

Her reply was several minutes in the making. The little y/n is typing... appeared and disappeared at least three times.

y/n: what kind of girl goes out for ice cream with a guy like you and doesn’t call it a date?

y/n: an idiot, lmao

y/n: i’d love to go out for ice cream with you, mark

My heart skipped a beat. Even just reading my name typed by her seemed to make me feel all warm inside. I couldn’t believe she wanted to go out with me. It made  
me feel so important.

I couldn’t wait anymore, I wanted to see her face. So, I clicked the call button, and a few seconds later she popped up on the screen.

“Couldn’t stay away, could you?” she teased.

Her lilting voice made my tired spirits lift, and I wanted nothing more than to talk to her forever.

“I really couldn’t. I wanted to hear your voice. It’s very soothing.”

She sighed contentedly at my statement, and that sound alone could’ve lulled me to sleep. I closed my eyes, resting my chin in my hand with a hint of a smile lurking on my face.

“Are you okay, Mark?” she asked, her tone concerned.

My eyes snapped open, and I stifled a yawn. “Oh, yeah, I’m just tired,” I responded, smiling at her.

She frowned, and I decided then and there I never wanted to see her frown again. She deserved to smile and laugh, not frown or pout.

“How late were you up, mister?” she asked firmly, her tone almost motherly.

“Three…” I mumbled, feeling my face get hot.

“Why?” she asked, her tone full of worry. “You need sleep, what with your schedule!”

“I just couldn’t fall asleep,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. It wasn’t a lie, I just didn’t want to admit why I couldn’t fall asleep.

“Mark…” she trailed off. “Go take a nap or something, you need it.”

“Nooooo,” I whined, folding my arms across my chest. “I wanna talk to you.”

Her face tinged pink, but she refused to let herself smile. “You need your sleep, Mark,” she reiterated. “You have such a hectic life, you have got to take care of yourself.”

“But I wanna talk to you,” I repeated, putting on puppy dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes. “Mark. Go take a nap for at least an hour and a half, okay? You can set an alarm if you want. You can call me back as soon as you wake up, I promise.”

“You promise you’ll be online?”

“I’ll do my best, I think Mitch wants to go see that new horror movie.”

“Who’s Mitch?” I asked casually, even though my blood had already begun to boil.

“My annoying-ass older brother,” she said with a sigh. “He and my cousin June were just gonna go by themselves, but now apparently I have to go with them.”

My heart rate slowed down as I realized there was no reason to be jealous of Mitch, and I sat back in my desk chair. “I’ll go take a nap,” I conceded. “Text me to let me know if you end up going with them, and then we can call whenever you get back.”

“Alright, Mark,” she said with a smile. “Sleep well, you look like you need it.”

I made a face at her, and she laughed. “You’re lucky you’re pretty,” I told her. I don’t do this for just anyone.”

Her face settled into a happy smile, her face brushed slightly with pink. I wished I could capture the way she looked forever, but all too soon she moved, telling me to have sweet dreams before disconnecting.

I set an alarm on my phone for exactly 90 minutes, and I fell asleep so quickly I didn’t even remember lying down.

(Y/N’s POV)

“Wait…so you’re like…talking to Markiplier? Your favorite YouTuber ever??” Iris shrieked, her face filling up the frame on our Skype call. She isn’t subscribed to Markiplier, but she knows who he is. And she knows how obsessed I am with him. 

“Yeah, we’ve even Skyped a couple of times,” I responded excitedly. “I can’t believe it either. He even wants to take me out for ice cream when I come out to visit you next month!”

“He’s just gonna steal you from me while you’re here visiting?” she asked, her bottom lip out in a pout. “You can’t just abandon me!”

“I’m not going to!” I assured her quickly. “He’s gonna hang out with us July 4th for the celebratory stuff, and then the next way he and I can go out for ice cream, and after that I’m all yours for the rest of the visit.”

“Pinky swear?” Iris asked, holding up her pinky.

“Pinky swear,” I said with a giggle, holding up my own. 

Little did she know, I’d extended my stay by a few days, after leaving her house I’d be staying in a hotel in order to spend a few days with Mark while he showed me  
around LA.

We talked for a little while longer, making all sorts of plans for my visit, before her boyfriend showed up to take her out to dinner. As she signed off, I noticed Mark’s  
little green bubble had come back on, and I subconsciously grinned as I shot him a message.

Me: did u just wake up?

Mark: Pretty much. I didn’t expect to sleep two and a half hours. I guess I just never heard my alarm.

Me: lol it’s ok sleepyhead, you needed and deserved that.

Mark: Can I call you back now? Pretty please?

I smiled even wider. This man managed to be adorable and incredibly sexy all at the same time. It was unbelievable.

Me: of course u can. i promised, didn’t i?

He didn’t even respond, he just instantly called.

I hit answer, and his face filled my frame, his hair messed up and his eyes sleepy. He looked irresistibly adorable.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I teased, and he shot me a sleep-filled grin. 

“I slept even longer than you told me to,” he said, his voice slightly rough. It made me shiver. I’d always loved his voice.

“I know. I’m proud of you,” I said, only half joking.

“How much longer until July 4th?” he asked, resting his chin in his hands and looking at me expectantly.

“It’s only June 5th, Mark,” I said with a smile. “29 more days.”

“UGH.” He threw himself back in his seat, looking almost like a child. It was so cute.

“When do you get here? Maybe we could see each other like the 3rd or something?”

I shook my head slowly. “I fly into LAX at around 10 PM on the 3rd, and that’s assuming everything will run on time. I’ll get picked up by Iris and her family, and  
we’ll go out for dinner before returning to her house, so I probably won’t even get settled in officially until like midnight on the 3rd. So realistically, the earliest we’d be able to meet is the 4th.”

Mark groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. “I know we’ve never met, but I miss you.”

My stomach did a somersault. He missed me?? Even though we’d never officially met?

Mark looked at me, a blush rising on his cheeks. “Was that weird? It was probably weird. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so forward, I just—”

“Mark,” I said with a giggle, cutting him off. “It was okay, I promise, I just didn’t know how to respond. The fact that you even found me, let alone are calling me  
beautiful, is a lot to wrap my tiny brain around.”

Mark laughed at that. “I’m sure you’re smarter than you give yourself credit for, miss l/n. Care to share your current GPA? What are you, a college sophomore?”

I blushed, nodding. “I’m in my second year of college.”

“You didn’t answer my first question, y/n,” Mark pressed. “What’s your GPA?”

“3.8,” I mumbled.

“3.8??” Mark asked, seeming astonished. “I think mine was like 2.4 when I dropped out.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re smarter than that. Have you even watched that one video where you build all the bridges and explain how each one works together each  
time? I actually used that video to help me in my own geometry class.”

Mark blushed again, his cheeks a cute bright pink. “Did it actually help?”

“It did! I got a B minus on that quiz, when I’d been hoping for a C at best.”

Mark smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s actually…really cool.”

I grinned back at him. “Isn’t it though?”

“We should do a collab sometime,” Mark blurted. “Do you play any games?”

“I’m pretty okay at Call of Duty,” I admitted. “Prop Hunt is a favorite of mine, however.”

“DUDE!” Mark yelled, shocking me a bit. “We’ve GOTTA play Prop Hunt when you come up here!!”

I laughed loudly. “I’m gonna beat your ass, dude. Mitch only plays against me and not Leo because he claims I’m the only one who’s any real competition. And let me tell you, Mitch has only beaten me like seven times.”

“Total?” Mark gapes.

“Not total, but out of the like four hundred games we played last night,” I said with a chortle. 

“Good God, I’ve even found a gamer,” Mark muttered under his breath.

“I do have news for you, though,” I said with a smile.

“Really?? Are you flying out early just to see me?” Mark said hopefully.

“No,” I said, chuckling at his crestfallen expression. “But I am extending my visit in order to spend a few days just with you.”

Mark’s smile could’ve been selfie lighting, it was so gloriously bright. “Really? You’re gonna stay longer just to spend time with me?”

“Of course, silly,” I said, leaning closer to my computer screen. “Who wouldn’t want to spend as much time as possible with you?”

Mark shrugged. “Bob, Wade, Ethan, Tyler, Katheryn…”

“People other than your closest friends who probably all annoy you anyway,” I said with an eyeroll. 

“Where are you staying, anyway?” Mark asks, the question I’d been dreading to hear. “Are you gonna just stay with Renee a few more days?”

“No, I was gonna stay at a hotel,” I admitted. “I didn’t wanna impose on Renee.”

“A hotel? Oh, hell no!” Mark says, an incredulous look on his face. “You think I’m gonna have you come all the way out here to see me and then let you stay in a hotel? No way! You’re gonna stay in my guest room.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve already reserved the hotel.”

“Then unreserve it. This will save you money, plus I can make you breakfast!”

I couldn’t help it, I rolled my eyes again. “Fine,” I conceded. Mark threw his fists up in the air in victory.

“I can’t believe you’re actually inviting me to stay at your house,” I chuckled. 

Mark looked perplexed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what about literally any of your other fans? They’d give their left arm to spend an hour with you, and here you’re jumping at a chance to spend time with me. It really should be the other way around.”

“You’re so out of my league though,” he said with a slight pout. “I’m honestly surprised I got you to talk to me. I thought you’d assume I was an entitled douchebag who only wanted sex or something, and that you wouldn’t even respond to my original DM. I never expected it to lead to this.”

“To what?” I asked, my heart beating a little faster. “Skyping and making plans to hang out?”

“Well, that,” Mark admitted, “but I never expected to grow to like you so quickly. You’re funny, you’re sassy, you’re absolutely gorgeous, you’re not afraid to tell me what to do, it’s just so astonishing to me that I managed to find someone like you, and that you didn’t turn me down the first time I messaged you.”

“To be honest,” I said with hesitation, “the thought crossed my mind that you were recording a video to see how eager some of your fangirls would get to talk to you.  
I kept my answers as vague as possible at first, so I didn’t come across as good enough to make it in your video.”

Mark looked almost appalled. “Not only would I never do that to you, I wouldn’t do that to anyone. That’s just…that’s so cruel. Who would do that?”

My ex-boyfriend flashes briefly in my mind. “I was in a relationship my junior year of high school that turned out to be the product of a bet,” I admitted. “For eight months, he kept getting dared to continue to go out with me, and his friends sometimes even paid him to try to get me to do things. Once I found out, I was so humiliated that I didn’t go back to school for a week. I almost switched to homeschooling to finish that year, but my mom made me go back and face everyone to  
prove I was stronger than they were.”

Mark’s facial expression could hardly be described. It was horror, mixed with fury and sympathy. I wasn’t sure he could even describe it.

“I’d…never hurt someone like that…” he breathed out. “I can’t even begin to imagine how you must have felt…how ruthless can someone be? Did he even get in trouble? What happened to him?”

“Well, his mom thought we were in a legitimate relationship the entire time, and when she asked me why I left him, I told her the truth, and he ended up having to switch to a boys-only private school for the rest of his high school tenure. His mom and I are still friends on Facebook,” I added with a slight chuckle. 

“God, he deserved so much worse,” Mark growled, his eyes dark. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“I was seventeen, it wasn’t really the end of the world. Besides, now I’m talking to one of YouTube’s most popular gamers. So I’d say I’ve got it going pretty well right now.”

Mark smiled. “I’d say I do too.”


	4. Growing, Growing, Growing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a week until you leave for LA, and you and Mark have grown incredibly close. When Mark misses a Skype call from you, further "investigation" leads you to believe he ignored you. What's the truth?

The next couple weeks flew by, and before I knew it, there were only seven days until I flew out to see Iris. And Mark.

I couldn’t believe how close Mark and I seemed to be after only a few weeks of talking. We’d told each other so many things, we’d spent so many hours up late on Skype, it was almost laughable. My parents would jokingly complain about me sleeping until almost noon or later, but little did they know I was up late talking to the first boy who’d shown an interest in me since Victor from eleventh grade.

“Hello, everybody!” Mark said loudly, making me smile as I watched his Five Nights at Freddy’s video. “My name is Markiplier, and welcome back to Five Nights at Freddy’s!” 

I couldn’t help but laugh as he continually got scared, making a mental note to scare him myself while he was recording one of those.

If you ever even see him again after this, my subconscious reminded me.

I rolled my eyes at myself, continuing to watch the video.

Mark proceeded to fail more than he won, and his screams when jump-scared only made me laugh harder.

“Alright, that’s it, I’m done,” Mark said breathily at the end of the video. “I’ll pick up in the next video, we’ll see if I can finally beat this son of a bitch. Thank you everybody for watching, and, as always, I’ll see you guys in the next one. Buh-bye!!”

I smiled to myself as I closed my browser just before Allison came barreling in.

“COME ON, LOSER, WE’RE GOING SHOPPING!” she yelled, pulling on my arm. She knew I was leaving for LA in a week, and, in her words, I “needed” new bathing suits and things of the like.

“We just went shopping two days ago!” I protested.

“And you didn’t even buy anything!” Allison responded. “You’ve gotta find something this time! I’m still salty that you didn’t buy that incredible purple bikini we found the other day. I know you liked it. I could see it on your face.”

“Yeah, but what if Mark doesn’t like it?” I asked almost sheepishly. 

Allison gave me a look that I could only describe as amazement. “You’re actually about to try and dress yourself up for a boy?” she cried, taking my face in her hands. “Y/F/N, the day I allow you to dress for someone else will be the day I have to dress you in your damn coffin, you understand?”

I cracked a smile at that.

“I asked if you understood, miss,” she reiterated, not letting go of my face.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a laugh. “I understand.”

“Good. Now we’re gonna go out there and you’re gonna buy that purple bikini and whatever else you damn well please,” Allison ordered as she pulled me out of my bedroom. I barely managed to pocket my cell phone before we were out of my room.

My phone buzzed almost as soon as we were in the car, with a Skype message from Mark.

Mark: You free to call?

Me: not at the moment, i’m afraid allison has just dragged me to the mall with her.

Mark: Shame. Try to pick out something as cute as you, though I doubt that will be possible.

I laughed at that as Allison pulled into the mall parking lot. 

Me: it will be impossible, because everything is already twice as cute as me.

Mark: Nonsense. You’re the cutest person I know.

Mark: You’re also beautiful, of course, and sexy, but that’s beside the point.

Mark and I were definitely more than friends, but nothing had been made official yet. I had almost called him my boyfriend on a number of occasions, but he really wasn’t. I struggled with that, fighting the urge to ask the “what are we” question more than once.

Me: sure, we’ll go with that.

Mark: You always say that, and I know you’re always being sarcastic. Stop being so down on yourself, you really are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I rolled my eyes, sending him a “thank you” before informing him that I had to go due to Allison’s nagging at me to get out of the car.

Mark: Call me when you get home, yeah? And you can model what you bought, if you’re up to it ;)

I followed Allison into the mall almost begrudgingly, but I did have a good time. I ended up buying the purple bikini, as well as a white one-piece. I was also talked into buying myself three new shirts, and a really cute pair of black distressed jean shorts.

By the time I got home, it was almost 10 PM, as we’d ended up going to a movie and dinner after the mall. I logged onto Skype, clicking the call icon for Mark even though the green bubble wasn’t visible on his profile picture.

It rang for what seemed like forever before dropping, the screen informing me that Mark was apparently unavailable. My spirits dropped just a bit, but I knew he was probably busy. I pulled the clothes out of my shopping bags, dropping them into my basket to put into the washer.

I carried them downstairs, starting a quick load before returning upstairs, changing, and crawling into my bed. 

I pulled out my phone, scrolling through Twitter. Nothing was out of the ordinary until I saw one particular tweet.

@Markiplier: Lazy night!! Can’t wait to veg out and talk to whoever’s willing to call me on Skype, lol

I shut off my phone as soon as I read that, tears filling my eyes. I knew he had probably just been chatting with Tyler or someone, but my call would’ve popped up, wouldn’t it have? Had he just ignored me?

My laptop began ringing from across the room, and against my better judgement, I popped up to see who it was.

It was Iris.

Dejected (and feeling bad for feeling dejected), I slinked back into bed, ignoring the call. I’d explain that I’d fallen asleep in the morning, Iris didn’t need to deal with my sniffly, overreactive self.

My phone rang seconds later, also Iris. I held my pillow over my face until it stopped, and when it did, I rolled over, basically forcing myself to fall into a very restless sleep.

(Mark’s POV)

I sat in my recording studio, in amazement at the time. It was almost 11 PM, there was no way y/n wasn’t home yet.

I clicked open Skype, and found a missed call notification, and my heart dropped. Y/N had tried to call me almost an hour earlier.

I hurriedly clicked call back, but it dropped almost immediately, telling me she was unavailable. I noticed her do not disturb bubble on her icon, and I huffed, shoving back from the computer. I opened Twitter on my phone, reading through my recent notifications, and I realized the tweet I’d just sent out.

Lazy night!! Can’t wait to veg out and talk to whoever’s willing to call me on Skype, lol

I couldn’t believe myself. She’d probably read that after trying to call me.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing heavily. She was probably upset, and with me. Both those thoughts nearly killed me.

I tried calling her again, only to get the same result. I sighed again, feeling a constricting feeling in my chest. I knew we weren’t even officially exclusive, but I definitely cared about her more than I wanted to admit. 

I tried to send a message, but I got an automated one in return. 

Me: I’m so sorry I missed your call, I didn’t even realize my Skype was offline.

Y/N: We’re sorry, but this person’s Skype is currently on Do Not Disturb. We will deliver your message the next time y/s/n logs on.

I smacked my desk harshly, running both hands through my hair. She was going to be upset, and it was all my fault.

I shoved back from my desk again, getting up to pace the room. I could message her on instagram, but I don’t want to look desperate.

Even if I am, I thought to myself.

After what seemed like only a few minutes of sitting on the floor with my head in my hands, I looked up to see the clock, and it read 2:46 AM.

“She’d tell me to sleep…” I said out loud, an air of dejectedness in my voice. 

Instead of following y/n’s voice in my head, I logged onto Skype and attempted to call Jack.

“Mark, it’s almost 3 AM where ye are, why ta hell are ye not in bed, asleep?” Jack demanded as soon as he picked up.

“Hello to you, too,” I grumbled, even though I knew he was right.

“Are ye alright, Mark? Ye look like ye’ve been overthinkin’ most everythin’, am I right?”

I sighed, running a hand through hair I knew was irreparably messed up. “Well, there’s this girl…”

“Oh, my God, ye’re in love,” Jack gasped, a hand over his mouth.

“It’s not love, we’re not even officially together,” I protested. 

Jack rolled his eyes. “Being with someone doesn’t mean ye love them, and being without someone doesn’t mean ye don’t love them,” he said in a bored tone, although what he said hit me hard.

“You…you’re right,” I said slowly, putting a hand on my chest. “I…I can’t love y/n…can I?”

Jack looked at me, concern in his eyes. “If ye think ye love her, then ye probably do,” he said, gesturing with his hands. “But ye, Mark, ye’re tired, ye’re upset, ye can barely think straight as it is. Ye should get some sleep before making any rash decisions.”

I nodded absentmindedly, still astonished at the thought. Did I love y/n?

“What is it that’s got ye so scatterbrained anyway?” Jack asked, trying to take my focus off what I thought I’d realized.

“I…uh…I told y/n to call me on Skype, after she got home from the mall, and when she never did, I logged on to realize I’d missed her call because my Skype had been offline…so I tried to call her but her Do Not Disturb was on, you know? Then I realized I’d sent some dumbass tweet out while she was gone, about relaxing all night and talking to whoever would Skype me, and I realized she probably thought I’d ignored her, and now I can’t get ahold of her to save my life. I don’t want her to be upset, Jack, and I really don’t want her to be upset because of me.” 

Jack’s expression softened as he took in my obviously distressed state. “All ye gotta do, lad, is explain things ta her. You bein’ dumb isn’t gonna make her run for the hills. Especially if it was only one time. She’ll understand, ye’ll see.”

I ran my hands through my hair again, catching a couple strands and pulling them out. I glanced at the blue hair resting in my hand, and I realized just how stressed out over this girl I really was. 

“If ye care for her as much as ye say ye do, ye’ll do the smart thing,” Jack said with a smirk.

“What would the smart thing be, O Wise One?” I asked, only half-sarcastically.

“Ye’ll explain, and apologize,” he responded, as if it should’ve been obvious. “If ye explain that it was an honest mistake and beg for the lass’s forgiveness, she’ll realize that ye care too much about her ta let such a stupid mistake come between ye. It’s not that hard ta do.”

I nodded, more to myself than to Jack. He was right, as usual. Y/N was too important for me to lose over a misunderstanding, and I wasn’t about to let this mistake, or my pride come between us.

“I’ll talk to her in the morning,” I decided, and Jack smiled brightly.

“If she even responds,” I said with a half-assed chuckle.

“She will. If she cares for ye, lad, she will.”

I sighed exasperatedly. Did she care for me that much?

“Mark, look,” Jack said, making me worry for a moment that I’d spoken that thought. “Ye’ll have problems with her down the road if ye keep her around, problems much bigger than this one. Ye can’t let such a small misunderstanding throw ye so far off course like this. If ye do, ye won’t even be able to function if ye have a for-real fight in the years ta come.”

Years? I thought, my heart rate increasing. He thinks y/n and I will last for years?

“You’re right,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “I can’t let myself sink so far down from such a tiny mishap in our budding relationship. I mean, we haven’t even made anything official yet, what am I gonna do if she tries to leave me after a big fight?”

“Ye don’t even want ta think about that,” Jack said with a hearty laugh. “Get some sleep, lad, it’s almost 4 AM where ye are.”

I blinked, looking at my computer clock. He was right. He’d been right about everything this whole time.

Except the ‘L’ word. I don’t love y/n.

Or do I?

Jack and I said our goodbyes, and I crawled into bed with heavy eyes and an ever so slightly lighter heart.

When I woke up, the numbers on the clock read 12:17, and Chica was licking all over my face. 

“Chica, get down,” I grumbled, throwing the covers off. My heart rate increased as I thought about my conversation with Jack the night before, and I scrambled into my desk chair to see if Y/N was online.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the little green bubble next to her icon. I didn’t even send her a message, I clicked call right away.

It rang, and rang, and rang…

And finally, she picked up.

Her eyes were slightly swollen, and her cheeks were a bright red. She looked like she’d been crying.

“Y/N! Thank God I finally got ahold of you!” I said, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding in. “I need to explain last night.”

“You don’t have to,” y/n said, her voice hoarse. “I understand your wanting to ignore me. I know I’m not the most exciting person in the world anyway.”

I could’ve sworn my heart cracked.

“No, no, no, y/n, you don’t understand,” I blurted, almost pleading with her to understand. “I didn’t even realize my Skype wasn’t online. I didn’t get a notification when you called. I wrote that tweet hoping it’d be you who called. Didn’t you get the notification about my missed calls?”

Y/N nodded, her hair falling around her face. I desperately wished to brush it behind her ear, but I knew very well I couldn’t do that from behind a screen.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. Can you please forgive me?” I asked, gripping the arms of my desk chair so hard my knuckles turned white.

She looked up at me, her eyes staring directly into mine. Her face split into a small smile, more than I could’ve hoped for, and my heart soared. 

“Yes, Mark,” she responded, “I forgive you.”

I couldn’t help the smile that I could tell probably lit up my face. “Oh my God, y/n, thank you so much. I can’t…you’re so amazing, I can’t believe it.”

She laughed, the sound absolutely musical. “You’re a doofus, Mark. I’m sorry I thought you were ignoring me on purpose.”

I looked at her, and she looked back at me. We didn’t exchange any further words, we just gazed into each other’s eyes. Her happy, content smile, the one that matched my own, was so beautiful I couldn’t describe it if I wanted to.

It was in that moment, I realized Jack had been right about everything he’d said.

I was in love with y/n.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if Mark has ever tweeted a tweet duplicate or similar to that. I fabricated it for the plot. Any similarities to tweets, living or deleted, is entirely coincidental. Thank you.
> 
> Also, Allison and Iris are two completely different people. Allison is y/n's childhood best friend, and Iris is y/n's college roommate. I didn't want to try and incorporate actual best friends into this story, because I'd have to constantly write b/f/n and c/r/n, and explain that b/f/n meant best friend's name and that c/r/n meant college roomate's name. It's just easier this way. Thank you for understanding.
> 
> One last thing: If you see Renee written in anywhere, thrown in randomly when Iris is supposed to be talking, that's an author error. Iris's name was originally Renee, but we got a new girl at the Taco Bell where I work, and her name's Renee, and she's really rude and I hate her. So, name change!!


	5. T-Minus 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally fly into LAX, where you're able to meet Iris and her family, waiting for you at the gate. But it's just a few more people than you expected...

“You’re sure you have everything?” my mother asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Yes, Mom,” I replied again. “I have sunblock, I have my phone charger, I have my laptop and its charger, I have my carry-on for the plane, I used the checklist you gave me, and I have everything.”

“Alright, honey, I just worry about you,” she said, wrapping me in a hug. “And I know you’ve taken a lot of extra hours at the shop these past couple weeks, so I wanted to give you this as sort of a thank-you.”

And she handed me five hundred-dollar bills.

“Mom,” I gasped out. “This is five hundred dollars, I can’t accept this.”

“You can, and you will,” she responded with a smile. “You’ve earned it, y/n. Go and spend it, but spend it wisely.”

“Oh my God, thank you,” I gushed, wrapping her in a hug. “I’ll make sure to bring you something from LA.”

“Alright, love. Now, have a safe trip to the airport. Allison’s taking you, correct?”

I nodded, smiling brightly as I pocketed the money. “I’ll see you in ten days,” I said, hugging my mom once more before leaving the house.

Allison was already in the driveway, and she rolled her eyes as I barely managed to fit all my luggage in her trunk. 

“I’m pretty sure you’ve packed everything you took to college and your kitchen sink,” she joked as I hopped into the passenger seat.

“Shut up or no gas money,” I responded, sticking my tongue out at her.

“You’ll give me the gas money, or I’ll turn right back around and bring you back home,” Allison demanded, even though she was laughing.

“Yeah, I will,” I conceded with a smile. “I love you too much to deprive you from visiting your precious boyfriend.”

“And I love you too much to keep you from visiting yours,” Allison said, a smug grin on her face.

“We aren’t official yet, you know that,” I told her, even though it stung a little to even say that. Whenever asked, Mark had insisted he was single, yet we talked and flirted and Skyped like an official, exclusive couple. It was beginning to get confusing, as well as disappointing.

“His bitch ass better try to make things official while you’re down there, or I’ll fly out just to kick his tiny ass down a flight of stairs,” Allison said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even know what that boy is waiting for. He’s got you exactly where he wants you, and yet he won’t even ask you to be his girlfriend. Sounds fishy to me, but it’s not for me to judge,” she finished with a shrug.

“Allison, I’m 5’2. If he’s tiny, I must be miniscule,” I told her, only to earn a slap upside the head. 

“You can be so stupid sometimes,” Allison remarked. “You’re so lucky I love you.”

“I know,” I said with a smile. “I love you too.”

We arrived at the airport exactly one hour and fifteen minutes before my flight was supposed to depart, and I barely managed to pull my carry-on out without the zipper coming open.

“Call me as soon as you get to the airport, alright?” Allison asked as she hugged me. “And I want every detail as soon as you get back to Iris’s house after the fireworks tomorrow. Got it?”

“I’ll call you once I land, and I’ll give you every detail after the fireworks. I think I got it,” I said with a smile. “I’m so nervous about meeting Mark. What if he doesn’t like me in person?”

“If he doesn’t like you in person, then I’ll fly out to LA just to kick his tiny ass down a flight of stairs,” Allison reiterated sassily, a hand on her hip. “Just be safe, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” I reassured her, hugging her one last time.

I walked into the airport, my backpack on my shoulder and my suitcase rolling behind me.

I was actually about to do this.

My hands were starting to get clammy as I received my boarding pass. I had texted Mark 15 minutes before, letting him know I was at the airport getting ready to fly into LA, but I hadn’t received an answer yet.

Iris, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more stoked. 

Iris: I’M ALREADY AT LAX READY TO PICK YOU UP

Me: …my plane doesn’t land for another three hours…

Iris: YOU’RE HILARIOUS YOU THINK I CARE

Iris: I CAN’T BELIEVE I GET TO SEE YOU IN JUST A FEW HOURS IT’S BEEN SO LONG

Me: are you sure you’re excited enough? i can’t read it very well through text

Iris: YOU’RE BEING MEAN ON PURPOSE. ARE YOU THROUGH SECURITY YET???

As a matter of fact, I had just made it through. I was informing her of that when another message pinged my Skype.

Mark: Cool. I’ll see you tomorrow.

The impersonal style of the message stung, and I didn’t know how to respond. I wanted to have the last word, but how was I supposed to respond to such a dull text?

Me: yeah

I felt like I’d done all I could. If he was going to be pissy and short, so was I.

I continued to text Iris, who was still busy making tons of plans for my visit, when a second text from Mark came through.

Mark: You okay?

Oh, now he was going to attempt to pry into things. He could be such a dick sometimes.

Me: yeah

I felt prouder of myself than I should have. Responding with the same message twice was usually something I hated to do and hated to have happen to me, but at this point, I wasn’t really in the mood to get into a conversation with Mark anymore.

Mark: Are you sure? Your first message was really jovial and now you seem to have deflated. Did your flight get delayed? Are you alright?

Me: I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Mark: Okay… text me when you land, alright? I want to make sure you get there safely.

Me: alright

I texted a quick goodbye to Iris, shutting off Skype notifications so I wouldn’t have to continue either conversation. I plugged in a pair of earbuds, clicking shuffle on my favorite playlist. Halsey began streaming through my earbuds, and I only had half an hour to relax and listen before my flight number was called.

I’d managed to book a window seat, and miraculously, nobody else was sat in my row. I watched the clouds below with glee as I flew through the open sky. I almost wished I never had to land. Up here, everything was quiet, serene, and peaceful. I could do anything I wanted. I could touch a cloud, I could float forever in seemingly endless airspace. Nothing seemed impossible when I was flying.

The stewardess, whose name was Danika, came by a couple times with complimentary drinks. I had a glass of Coke each time, thanking her when she came back around to get rid of my little plastic glass. 

The flight was too short for a full-length movie, so they simply played a few episodes of Friends while everyone waited.

I watched through a couple of the episodes, but they were both ones where Ross and Rachel were fighting about whether they’d been “on a break,” so I ended up switching back to my music.

The captain came on eventually, warning us that we’d be landing in half an hour, and so I told myself not to fall asleep.

“Ma’am? Ma’am, wake up, the plane’s landed.”

“Huh?” I startled, sitting up straighter. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You were asleep,” Danika said. “The plane landed about ten minutes ago, you’re free to get up and claim your things.”

I rubbed my eyes and lightly slapped my face a few times to wake myself up. I thanked Danika for keeping an eye out for me, and she graciously reminded me that it was simply her job. I smiled brightly at her as I left the plane, realizing I was one of the last people to do so.

LAX was a new experience for me, and I breathed in everything, from the smells, to the sights, to the sounds, to the people.

Oh, the people. Hundreds of them, flanking me on all sides. Women, children, men, of all ages, sizes, and colors, surrounded me. Some were walking quickly, some were yelling, some were accompanying children or elderly folks. Everything was so loud and bustling, I could hardly take it all in.

I turned off airplane mode on my phone, clicking Allison’s contact. She picked up on the second ring. “Did you make it??”

“YEAH,” I said, straining to hear her and be heard over the cacophony that was the LAX airport. “IT’S REALLY LOUD IN HERE THOUGH, I’LL CALL YOU BACK ONCE I GET TO IRIS’S HOUSE. I LOVE YOU.”

I either couldn’t hear her response or didn’t wait long enough for it. I clicked end call and continued through the airport, looking for the gate Iris said she would be waiting behind. 

Finally, I spotted gate 16C, and I thanked the kind woman at the gate as she let me through.

I looked around for a few minutes, before hearing “Y/N!” 

Iris’s voice echoed through the airport, turning a few heads. I barely had time to drop my luggage as Iris launched herself at me, wrapping me in a hug I could barely return. 

“I’VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!” she yelled again, and I laughed as I tightened my grip on her.

“I’ve missed you too,” I squeezed out. “Now let go, I have people to meet and air to breathe!”

Iris laughed as she let go. “Sorry,” she breathed, but I waved her off. “Mom, this is y/n,” she said, and I shook the hand of what looked to me to be an older version of Iris. “Y/N, this is my mom, Sadie.”

“Hi, Mrs. Lansing,” I said with a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Oh, please, call me Sadie,” Iris’s mom gushed. “Mrs. Lansing makes me feel so old.”

“Alright,” I said with a laugh. “Thank you.”

“And then this is my sister, Jolene,” Iris said, gesturing to a girl who couldn’t have been more than twelve. “And my older brother, Xavier.” I shook his hand, and he smiled warmly at me.

“Where’s…Mr. Lansing?” I asked in a whisper, not wanting to upset or offend anyone.

“He left us four years ago,” Iris whispered back. “He and my mom got divorced, and he moved to Virginia for his job. Haven’t seen much of him except for holidays every other year.”

I nodded solemnly. “It’s nice to meet you guys,” I said, smacking on a smile. “Sorry to keep you all up, this was the earliest flight I could get.”

“It’s no problem, sweetheart,” Sadie assured me. “I know Iris is just tickled pink that you’re here at all. It’s a pleasure to have you.”

I smiled. Iris’s mom knew how to make me feel at home immediately, even though I was standing in the midst of the airport.

“Oh, there’s one more person to introduce you to, is there not?” Sadie asked Iris, a twinkle in her eye.

“Oh, right,” Iris said, her eyes flitting to behind me for a fraction of a second. “I almost forgot. Y/N, this is—”

“Mark,” came an all-too-familiar voice.

My jaw dropped, and I couldn’t make myself turn around. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t believe he was here.

“Y/N, love,” I heard his voice again. “Turn around, please?”

I forced myself to move, slowly, but surely. I couldn’t even believe my own eyes when I turned and came face-to-face with Mark Fischbach.

“I—you’re—you—I can’t—what?” I blurted, none of my words making sense.

Mark laughed, his voice even more heavenly in person. “I managed to get ahold of Iris here, and I told her I wanted to be with her to meet you when you landed in LA. I had to make it a surprise, of course. Sorry my messages earlier were a little impersonal. I didn’t want to sound rude, but I also didn’t trust myself to keep that huge secret.”

I was still frozen, and I couldn’t get any words out of my mouth.

“Are you going to hug me?” Mark asked jokingly, holding his arms out for a hug.

“Y/N, go hug him,” Iris said, pushing me forward slightly.

That snapped me out of whatever trance I was in, and I launched forward into Mark’s open arms. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, you’re actually here,” I muttered over and over. Mark laughed again, his chest vibrating. Oh, he was warm. Oh, he smelled so nice. I could stay here forever. His hugs were so nice…

“Y/N, love, we gotta get moving if we wanna get home before midnight,” Iris prodded gently, making me finally release Mark from the death grip I had him in. 

I nodded, starting to walk forward with Iris and her family, when I felt Mark grab my hand, intertwining our fingers. I glanced down at his hand, then back up at him, and he shot me a smile that warmed my heart. I still couldn’t believe he’d shown up to surprise me. And Iris? She couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, she’d spoiled so many surprise parties for our dorm-mates that we’d begun inviting her only hours before the actual event.

“How did you even convince Iris to let you come with her?” I asked, finally managing to get past the whole oh-my-god-Markiplier’s-here-and-WITH-ME freakout. 

“I followed her on Instagram and messaged her, same way I did with you,” Mark responded with a chuckle. “Of course, I didn’t flirt with her to get anywhere. I explained my situation, and she agreed to let me come with her.”

“Did you two take separate cars?” I asked, hoping he’d say no. I didn’t want to have to choose who to ride with, that’d be a terrible decision to have to make.

“I drove to Iris’s house, but we all rode here together,” Mark said, silencing my fears. “They’ve got a really big house, and I think you’ll be in Iris’s room, and I’m in the guest room.”

I smiled. “Am I just gonna go home with you after the week is up, then? Or are you gonna head home after the fireworks tomorrow and wait for me back at your place?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Mark says honestly. “It depends on how Iris’s mom feels about letting me stay at her house for a whole week, especially since she knows how close you and I already are.” 

I felt my shoulders droop slightly. We were close. I guess he just didn’t consider us close enough. 

We reached the parking lot, and Xavier was quick to help put my luggage in the trunk, even though Mark had offered first. I watched Xavier put the suitcase and backpack away gently, and Mark’s grip on my hand tightened ever so slightly the longer I watched him.

“Okay, so my mom’s gonna drive, Xavier can have shotgun, Jolene can ride in the middle, Mark and y/n can sit in the back, and I’ll sit next to Jolene,” Iris decided, clapping excitedly. “Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” everyone said, in almost perfect unison.

And so, the ride home began. Iris and I caught up on everything we’d missed (which wasn’t much, considering we’d Skyped almost three times a week since college had let out), Mark and I held hands the entire ride, and more than once Jolene whined about needing to use the bathroom.

“Jolene, we’re fifteen minutes from the house, you can wait,” Sadie said firmly. “You didn’t even go at the airport!”

“I didn’t have to go then!” Jolene whined, making her mom huff. 

“You’re going to wait.”

Jolene let out an angry huff, flopping back in her chair.

“Y/N, dear, would you like to stop someplace and pick up some cereal? We can get your favorite for you, if you’d like.”

“Oh, no, that’s fine,” I quickly assured her. “I’ll eat about anything.”

Mark squeezed my hand affectionately, and I smiled at him.

“I’ll eat about anything, too,” he growled in my ear, making my insides turn to liquid.

Once we got to the house, Xavier managed to grab my bags before Mark and I could even react, causing Mark to huff, but since his mouth was closed, it ended up sounding like a growl, one that I’m almost ashamed to say kind of turned me on.

Key word here: almost.

It was 12:22 AM when we finally entered the house, and we all went to our separate rooms without so much as a goodnight. I thanked Sadie again for driving to and from the airport, and she tiredly assured me it was no big task. “I’m just glad Iris has a friend as good as you,” she said, half yawning through the entire sentence. 

“Now go on and get to bed, I want to get out to the park no later than 2 PM.”

I smiled at her as I turned to go to Iris’s room, but she smiled knowingly at me from her doorway.

“If you want to go spend the night in Mark’s room, it’ll be okay,” she stage-whispered. “My mom won’t care, and you’ll be with me all day, every day, the whole time you’re here, you deserve some alone time with your man…after hours,” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Go on,” she said, waving her hand at me in a “get on with it” gesture. “I already put your luggage in his room anyway.”

“You’re a sly little bastard,” I said, but she simply laughed. “Goodnight, y/n. Remember, these walls are thick, but they don’t block everything.”

I flipped her off as she shut her door, laughing even more. I turned towards Mark’s room, and the door was cracked open, a dim light shining into the hallway.

“Mark?” I said softly, pushing the door open a little more.

“Oh, y/n!” he said, his voice light. “I was hoping you’d come in here. Iris put your luggage in here, I thought you’d want it.”

“She put it in here because she assumed I’d sleep in here with you,” I said with a slight giggle.

Mark stopped, his face growing slightly pink. “I mean, you can, if you want, you don’t have to…I’d like you to, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

“Shush, Mark, I’ll sleep in here with you,” I said, walking past the bed to open my suitcase. “Just don’t get in bed naked, okay?”

“Damn, there go my plans,” Mark replied, a sinister smirk on his face. “I’m joking, y/n. I’ll even turn around when you change if you want me to.”

“I’m sleeping in the same bed as you, who cares if you watch me change?” I asked, stripping my shirt off before he could answer.

“I…uh…” Mark struggled for an answer as I rummaged through my suitcase for my sleeping shirt.

“Ah, here we go,” I said, pulling out the 2X t-shirt I almost always wore to bed. It was a few years old and very faded, but it said, “WAKE ME FOR THE WEEKEND” in big, black lettering. The pale blue shirt did little to accentuate my body, but that was fine by me. I pulled it over my head, unfastening my bra and pulling it out through the shirt sleeve.

“You…” Mark stuttered, and I looked up at him as I unbuttoned my pants. His face was a bright pink, even to the tips of his ears. The t-shirt went past my butt, so I was fairly modestly covered.

I toed my socks off, throwing them in the pile with my other shirt, and the white shorts I’d previously had on.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Mark breathed as I let my hair down from its ponytail.

I felt myself blush as his eyes roamed my body, seemingly unable to look anywhere else. “Thank you,” I said, looking at the floor.

“Come on, let’s get to bed,” Mark said, holding out his hands. I took them, and he pulled me gently into the bed, letting me crawl under the covers next to him.

“I’ve waited so long to see you,” he whispered after turning out the light. “You’re even more exquisite in person.”

My heart thudded in my chest, I couldn’t believe how much I liked Mark. And we’d only been talking a few weeks.

“I can’t believe you’re here, with me, talking to me, in bed with me,” I said with a smile in my voice. “Two months ago, I never would’ve dreamed that this could possibly, actually happen.”

“Well, baby, now you don’t even need to dream,” he replied, reaching out a hand in the dark to place it on my face. His cool hand did wonders for my burning cheek, and I knew he could tell how red my face was just from feeling it.

“I like you, y/n,” he whispered.

“I like you too, Mark,” I said, smiling.

And with that, he nudged his other hand under where my face was on the pillow, before leaning forward and placing his lips on mine.

I didn’t have any time to react, I placed my hands around his wrists and kissed him back. It wasn’t a very long kiss, and it didn’t go very deep, but he left my heart doing cartwheels when he pulled away.

“Sleep well, y/n,” he whispered, intertwining his hand in mine.

“I will,” I whispered back.

And only minutes later, I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HONESTLY WRITING THIS CHAPTER MADE ME FEEL REALLY WARM AND FUZZY BC I JUST REALLY LOVE MARK AND EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM OK SORRY FOR RAMBLING


	6. Barely Even Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After sleeping in the same bed as Mark all night, you wake up to see him and Iris getting too close for your comfort. You fear this isn't going to end well...

July 4th began with the sun streaming through the bedroom window. The clock read 10:12 AM, and the only people still in bed were Mark and me. I could hear Iris singing in the shower, and it only made me smile. I was here. 

My phone started ringing almost as soon as I was fully awake, and I turned it over to see my mother’s face on the screen.

I answered it immediately. “Hi Mom!”

“Hi, sweetie,” my mom said, a smile in her voice. “Just calling to make sure you’re alright! Did you make it to Iris’s house?”

“Yep,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at a still sound-asleep Mark. “We’re all good here.”

My mother and I chatted a few more minutes before saying our goodbyes so I could hop in the shower.

I glanced over at Mark again. He was still sleeping, his bare chest rising and falling in peaceful slumber. I smiled, still barely able to comprehend that he was here with me. He was here for me. It was so hard to believe.

Deciding against waking him, I gathered my clothes and slipped into the bathroom, managing to shower, shave, and rinse in just twenty minutes. I slipped my purple bikini on underneath a red, white and blue shirt and jean cutoffs, just in case we could swim wherever we were going.

When I reentered the bedroom, Mark was gone, but the bed was made. I toweled off my hair and pulled it up into a loose bun, hanging my towel up in the bathroom.

I found the sandals I wanted to wear and headed downstairs to find Mark and Iris sitting at the dining room table, laughing as if someone had told an inexplicably funny joke.

I couldn’t explain the feeling it gave me, something between hurt and jealousy. I mean, who had woken Mark up? Had he woken up himself, or had Iris sneaked in after I got in the shower?

I managed to get into the kitchen without either of them noticing, and I found the cereal, bowls, and milk without making too much noise.

“Xavier, would you go see if y/n’s out of the shower?” Iris requested, seemingly talking to me. “Mark needs to take one.”

The statement hurt, almost like I’d been slapped. "Mark needs to take one," I mocked silently in my head. I popped my head around the corner. “It’s me, not Xavier,” I said too brightly. “And yeah, I’m out of the shower.”

Iris’s cheeks burned pink, but the smile on her face never wavered. “Alright, thanks, y/n. You can go shower whenever, Mark, the towels are in the cabinet under the sink.”

“Thanks, Iris, I think I’ll go do that now,” Mark said, and he turned around and headed up the stairs without a word to me. 

Feeling the betrayal like fire on my skin, I sat down and ate a bowl of stale Lucky Charms without even speaking to Iris.

“He’s so funny, have you ever noticed?” Iris asked casually, looking wistfully at the stairway that Mark had disappeared upwards. 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” I bit back. “I’ve been watching his videos for three years.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Iris said with a too-innocent giggle. “I forgot.”

"I forgot," I mocked again, silently. I was really bitter about things sometimes, whoops.

I set my dishes in the sink and shoved the cereal box back into the cabinet a little too harshly.

I stepped out onto the porch, pulling out my phone to call Allison.

“You asshole, you never called me back!” she yelled when she picked up on the third ring. “I expect to hear that you kissed your boy last night, or else I’m gonna hang up on you!”

I laughed bitterly. “Yeah, he kissed me, alright,” I said, sitting down on the porch swing. “And then there were…new developments this morning.”

“You sound salty,” Allison quipped. “What’d he do?”

“I came downstairs after my shower this morning, alright?” 

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Well, Mark and Iris are just sitting at the dining room table, yakking it up like they’ve been friends for years, and they’re just laughing at whatever it is they’re talking about, it’s so stupid. I go into the kitchen to get cereal, and Iris calls out thinking I’m her brother, telling him to see if I’m out of the shower since Mark needs one.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah, uh-oh. And then when I announce it’s actually me, Iris tells Mark he can go ahead and get in the shower, and he gets up to go take a shower without saying a damn word to me!”

I heard Allison exhale loudly through the speaker. “I don’t even know what to say, that’s such a dick move.”

“Yeah, I thought we were going somewhere since we slept in the same bed last night, but maybe he’s just a dick.”

“You slept in the same bed and he’s still flirting with this cornea girl??” Allison shrieked through the line. 

“Her name’s Iris,” I corrected, but Allison’s snarky laugh cut me off.

“Your college roommate is flirting with your man, I can call her cornea if I fucking feel like it,” she snaps. 

“He’s not even my man,” I almost whined, lying down completely on the porch swing. “We’re not official.”

“You mean to tell me that he kissed you, you slept in the same bed, and you are STILL NOT EXCLUSIVE??” Allison yelled, almost causing me to go deaf.

“Either have that ‘what are we’ talk or you get your ass back on that plane and come home!” she demanded. “He’s being a class A fuckboy and you should not deal with that kinda shit.”

“Yeah, I know,” I huffed. “I’ll try to have that ‘what are we’ talk if we’re in the same room tonight. Depending on how today goes, I might be on that plane home tonight.”

“Even though I’d love to see you, I hope you don’t have to come home,” Allison said, her tone diminished several octaves. “I hope he isn’t that much of a douche.”

“Me too,” I sighed. “I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

“Okay,” she said. “If you end up coming home, let me know and I’ll be at the airport before your plane even takes off.”

“I will,” I assured her, and we said our goodbyes before hanging up. 

I headed back inside, making my way upstairs to the room where Mark and I shared, and predictably, he’s not even in there. I let down my hair, running a brush through the damp strands. I put it in a braid, letting it hang down on my back before donning a pair of hoops.

Examining myself in the mirror, I grab my purse, stashing my earbuds and phone in it before walking downstairs to join Iris and her family before we headed out to where the celebration was going to be.

I end up sitting next to Jolene while Iris and Mark are in the back, and I catch Sadie looking back at me sympathetically more than once. 

After what seems like forever, we pull out to a seriously large house in a giant cul-de-sac. Cars are parked in this entire roundabout, and this house is the only house on the cul-de-sac.

I can’t help but gape as I climb out of the car, shouldering my bag and throwing my beach towel over my shoulder.

“This is my uncle Justin’s house,” Iris says nonchalantly. “He won, like, two hundred million dollars in the lottery like two years ago, and this is how he spent sixteen million of it.”

My eyebrows skyrocket, and my focus is momentarily taken off of the way Mark follows Iris into the house and barely even acknowledges me.

“I thought Mark was with you?” Xavier comments, pointing to his sister and my…sort of…boyfriend?

“I thought so, too,” I say, gripping my purse straps tighter as we head out the back door to the incredibly huge pool. There’s roughly twenty people out here, all my age or older. The youngest people are all in the house, including Jolene, who Xavier says are probably in the home theatre.

I shake out my beach towel, laying it down on the pavement by the pool.

“Did you bring sunscreen?” Xavier asks. “If not, I have plenty extra.”

“No, it’s in here in my bag,” I said, pulling the tube out of my purse. “God, it’s so hot out today.”

“Yeah, but we’re lucky enough to have a pool today,” Xavier responded with a smile. He pulled off his shirt to reveal quite a nice chest, in my opinion. His bright red swim trunks made his blue eyes pop, and he wasted no time in cannonballing into the deep end of the pool.

I laughed as I pulled my clothes off to show off my royal purple bikini. Xavier hopped out of the pool to help me rub sunscreen on my shoulders and back, though I was able to manage my own legs.

I took a glance at Mark, whose eyes were glued onto me. I smirked at him and looked back at Xavier, shooting him a smile. Two could play at this game.

Once my sunscreen was fully rubbed in, I slid into the pool, sinking in almost to my neck. 

“How deep does this go?” I asked Xavier, who shrugged. “I think twelve feet.”

My eyes widened as I smiled. “Nice.”

I pushed up on the side of the pool to climb out, wringing out my braid as best as I could as I walked over to the diving board.

I knew Mark couldn’t tell exactly where I was looking from the height I was on, but I knew he was looking directly at me. I stretched backwards, before leaping forwards off the board in a near-perfect swan dive.

I came up for air and Mark was already at the side of the pool.

“Are you okay, y/n?” he called. “You took a while coming up,” he finished, sounding concerned.

I shot him the best glare I could muster. “I’m fine,” I responded before going back underneath the water.

I pushed myself to the bottom of the pool, opening my eyes and looking up at the surface above me. The sky was distorted, and I quickly closed my eyes again before they started to hurt.

I didn’t know exactly how long I’d been under when a pair of arms grabbed me around the waist and pulled me upwards towards the surface.

I took a deep breath in when I breached the surface of the water, and didn’t get a good look at the other person until my feet were settled in the shallower end of the pool.

“Good God, y/n, were you trying to kill yourself?” Mark cried, shaking me a little. “You can’t scare me like that!”

I looked him straight in the eyes, daring him to say anything else.

“You’re fucking bipolar,” I spat, pushing him away. I climbed up the stairs of the pool, grabbing my towel to wrap it around myself. I grabbed my clothes and shoved them in my purse, picking up my phone to call an Uber.

“Y/N!” I heard two voices calling my name. “Y/N, where are you going?”

I whipped around, my wet braid nearly smacking me in the face. There they were, Mark and Iris standing before me, either completely stupid or not even willing to own up to what they’d been doing.

“Are you serious?” I cried, wrapping my towel tighter around my shoulders. “I came here to see you, Iris, and to get to know you, Mark, and yet I’m the outsider while you two get all cuddly and cozy on your own! I’m going home. You two can have all the time in the world.”

A thought struck me. “You have a boyfriend, Iris!! Not only are you unsatisfied with your own boyfriend, you have to try and steal one that isn’t even officially mine!”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw the diamond liquid streaming down Iris’s face. “That’s not it at all, y/n, you have to understand…”

“I understand plenty,” I bit back, feeling tears rolling down my cheeks. “Fuck both of you. I can’t believe I wasted all this time, thinking Mark liked me and thinking you were my friend.”

Iris gasped, stepping backwards. “Y-you—”

“Y/N,” Mark tried to interject.

“No!” I yelled. “How far did you drive, half an hour? I had a four-hour flight to come see you, and you ditch me for a girl who has a boyfriend! Some child you are.”

“Y/N, listen to me!” Mark yelled finally, grabbing my wrists. “I’m not trying to exclude you, you’re not getting it. I wanted Iris’s help because I felt that she knew you much better than I did.”

“Oh, so you decided to just ditch me entirely because she knew me better? Makes sense so far,” I snapped, my voice breaking.

“Y/N, he wants to ask you to be his girlfriend,” Iris sobbed, “and all he was doing with me was trying to figure out a romantic way to do it. We never meant to hurt you, I’m sorry, I know you hate me now, I’m sorry…” Her voice broke as she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

I stood there, stunned. All the pieces began to fall into place. Mark not talking to me for fear of spoiling the secret, Iris talking about Mark’s sense of humor, so I’d agree that he was a great guy…

I stood frozen, tears still streaming down my face, not knowing what to say. Iris sunk down to the floor, managing her sobs down to sniffles, as Xavier came out and took her back out to the pool. I knew she was on the verge of a panic attack, and I’d kept yelling. 

Mark was just standing there, looking at me. I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe. Iris was having a panic attack and it was all my fault. 

I finally made eye contact with Mark, and the tears started again, making me break into full-on sobs. My towel and purse fell to the ground at my feet, and I buried my face in my hands, trying to control myself.

“Y/N…” Mark said wistfully, wrapping his hands around my wrists, pulling my hands down off my face. “I’m sorry, I know what it must’ve looked like…God, we even sat in the back together on the way here…I’m so sorry…”

“N-no, it’s m-y fault, I jumped to c-conclusions,” I said, my words chopped through broken cries. “I made Iris have a p-panic attack, I c-can’t believe myself…”

Mark didn’t say a word, he just put his hands on my face and kissed me. This one was much more passionate than the first, and he refused to let me go even when I tried to break away. Not that I minded.

His tongue licked at my bottom lip, and I instantly opened my mouth, letting him in. Our tongues nudged at each other, exploring the other like new territory. Mark’s hands traveled from my face to my waist, pulling me closer into him as we continued to kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into me. 

Once we finally broke the kiss, Mark leaned his forehead on mine, both of us breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” I managed to squeeze out, but Mark just shushed me, pulling me into a bear hug.

“Mark, I’m still wet,” I said, struggling to get out of the hug.

“I don’t care,” he said simply. “I was going to get in the pool at some point anyway.”

“I need to go apologize to Iris,” I said, even though I no longer wanted out of the hug.

Mark sighed, giving one last squeeze before letting me go.

“Y/N?” he said, making me look up at him.

“Yeah?”

“Will you be my girlfriend?”


	7. Then Somebody Bends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finally takes you on that ice cream date he's been promising since you met. But tensions unfortunately flare. How will this end, for Mark, for you, and for the two of you as a couple?

(Mark’s POV)

It had been almost 24 hours since y/n had said yes to being my girlfriend. The party had gone pretty much without another hitch after our respective meltdowns, and I had stolen more than one kiss from y/n during the brilliant fireworks show.

“Y/N?” I called up the stairs, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. “You almost ready?”

“Yeah,” came her voice. I was about to take her on the ice cream date I’d been promising for a month, and even though I was excited, I was nervous as I could possibly be.

I took the stairs two at a time to reach the bathroom door, where I tapped lightly. “Baby, I’ve seen you without makeup already, you’re gorgeous. I’m leaving in four hours and I want to spend as much time as I can with you.”

The door opened to reveal y/n in quite possibly the cutest outfit I’d ever seen.

Her hair was curled into soft, bouncy ringlets, and it was seemed to glisten in the light. Her eyes shone like blades of grass glazed over with the morning dew, and my heart skipped a beat when her smile gleamed up at me, as bright as a new-fallen snow when the sun glitters over it just right.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” I reiterated, pulling her in for a gentle kiss. “I like you, a lot.”

She giggled. “I like you a lot too, Mark.”

My heart warmed as I took my hand in hers. We descended the stairs together, her steps in time with my own.

When we got to the bottom, y/n hugged Iris, promising to be back within three hours. Then, without even a word to each other, we got in my car and drove for twenty minutes to a tiny little ice cream shop on the outskirts of downtown, called The Silver Dipper. 

We got our ice cream, despite a minor disagreement over who was going to pay, and we sat down at a small table outside.

“I don’t want to leave,” I admitted as y/n licked around her cone to keep it from dripping.

“You don’t have to,” y/n jumped in quickly. “I could just go home with you once it’s time for me to leave.”

“You need your one-on-one girl time,” I reminded her. “And I only have enough videos scheduled to post through today anyway. I already told you I would be going home. You’ll see me again in five days anyway.”

She nodded. “I can’t wait. Just you and me, in the middle of LA.”

I smiled at her. “It’ll be really great.”

She sighed contentedly. “I’m really glad nothing was actually going on with you and Iris,” she admitted, her cheeks tinged pink. “I was really upset about that because we’d been talking for over a month and then it seemed like she’d just swooped in and taken all your attention.” She laughed. “I’m glad I didn’t go home.”

I exhaled. “Nothing would’ve gone on between us, y/n,” I said, a slight edge to my tone. “You do trust me, don’t you?”

She looked up at me. “Of course, Mark, I just didn’t know what to think. You would’ve felt the same way if I’d been cozying up to Xavier like that.”

I rolled my eyes slightly. “There wasn’t any cozying up,” I said, a bit smarmily. “You would’ve noticed had you actually paid attention.”

Hurt flashes in her eyes, but it’s immediately replaced by a stony nothingness. “I was paying attention,” she bit back. “I’d come all the way out here to see the both of you and you two seemed to be having a grand old time all on your own. How was I supposed to know what was really going on?”

I glared at her. “You could’ve, like, asked, instead of just assuming things and blowing up on us. It wasn’t that hard to do. Like, ‘hey, Mark, why aren’t you sitting with me?’ How hard is that?”

She sits there, her ice cream dripping on her hand. “And sound like a needy, overprotective girlfriend? We hadn’t even made anything official, Mark, I wasn’t entitled to neediness or possessiveness yet. Technically, I’m never entitled to possessiveness. I’m just entitled to your first-choice slot.”

I rolled my eyes, more obviously this time. “I don’t even think of her as being a possible target, so to speak. She’s so close to you, I see her as more of a sister figure. I thought that would be obvious. But I guess not.”

“Oh, so I’m just stupid, then?” she spits, shoving back from the table. “I’m just so stupid that I can’t see when there isn’t a romance? How many times have you heard of a guy-girl pair of best friends being mistaken for a couple? How many books, or movies, or, hell, fanfictions, have the plot of a guy/girl pair of friends falling for each other??”

I know that I’m in the wrong, but my pride won’t let me stop. “You should know better than that, y/n, that’s all I said. You should’ve known better than to assume that your college roommate would betray you like that. Or that I would betray you like that, for that matter.”

She looks at me, a fire I can’t discern burning within her eyes. “I’ve known you for a month, Mark,” she responds, her tone beginning to flatten. “Even if I already fully trusted you, how was I to know you wouldn’t turn around and shatter that trust the minute you got the chance to?”

I felt my defense falter, but it was quickly replaced by anger. “Did nothing I told you throughout that entire month give you reason to trust me? Or are you just that insecure about every man who’s ever bothered to give you a second glance?”

I regretted the words the moment they came out of my mouth. I’d never seen someone look so hurt and so angry all at the same time. I remembered the story she’d told me about her ex-boyfriend around the time those wretched words came out of my mouth, and I instantly felt ten times worse.

“How could you?” y/n whispered, her voice barely loud enough for me to hear. She dropped her cone on the table, the melted mess puddling on the faux marble.

“Y/N, wait!” I called, rushing to clean up the mess. Of course, she didn’t wait, but at the same time I didn’t blame her. I’d fucked up, big time.

She sat quietly in the passenger seat when I got in the car, tear tracks staining her face. My chest hurt, I felt so bad for hurting her like this.

“Y/N, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” I told her earnestly, mentally begging her to just look at me. 

“Just take me back to Iris’s house,” she mumbled, still not looking at me.

“Please, y/n, just talk to me,” I pleaded, placing a hand on her arm. “I shouldn’t have said those things, I know they were stupid. I was just angry…”

“That doesn’t give you the right to say them!” y/n cried, finally turning around. “You threw everything in my face, you know damn well what you did! And you can’t just say whatever will hurt the other person every time you get mad, Mark! It’s no fun feeling like shit!”

I looked at her, her eyes red and filling with fresh tears. I felt so horrible for hurting her when all I’d wanted to do was take her out for a nice fucking date.

I sighed, smacking the steering wheel with my hands. “I’m sorry, y/n. I know that what I said was hurtful. I know I said it out of anger. And I can’t tell you how much I regret it. It wasn’t something I should’ve done, under any circumstance. I’m sorry.”

She sniffled, only adding to the ache in my chest. “I’m not going to say it’s okay,” she said, her voice small and broken. “It’s not okay. I don’t know what to say right now. Please, just take me back to Iris’s house.”

I nodded numbly, starting the engine. Neither of us had even finished our ice cream. I’d paid $8.37 for two cones, one of which had been dumped on the table in front of me, and one that had been thrown away in a rush to get to the owner of the dumped cone.

“I’m sorry I threw the ice cream on the table,” y/n mumbled as I pulled onto the highway. “I know it wasn’t the cheapest ice cream.”

I looked at her, sighing. “The price of the ice cream isn’t important, y/n. I ruined the whole thing by being a complete dick to you. Really, you probably should’ve shoved it into my hair.”

She giggled, quietly, but I heard it. “I still shouldn’t have just dumped it on the table like that,” she said, her slight smile gone. “I left it for you to clean up. That was a dick move.”

I shook my head. “I deserved it, for what I said. I threw your worst relationship into your face like that when I was already in the wrong. I don’t know what could possibly be a bigger dick move than that.”

Y/N sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “I just wish our last day together had gone a little better.”

My heart stopped and sank all at the same time. “You’re…not coming out to my house anymore?”

Y/N exhaled deeply. “I don’t know at this point. It seems like all we’ve done in person is fight, and fighting gets exhausting. I don’t want to go all the way to your house only to have one stupid argument after another. Especially if each one is going to end in tears.”

I felt tears stinging the back of my own eyes as I clenched my teeth and nodded once, my whole body feeling numb. I couldn’t believe I was so dumb. 

“It’s not a definite no,” y/n added, apparently noticing my current state. “I just need time to think about it. I’ll probably talk with Iris and Allison about it, they know more about relationships than I do…”

“You mean our fate is resting in the hands of your friends?” I asked incredulously, gripping the steering wheel much more tightly than necessary. “You can’t decide for yourself what you want?”

“I know what I want,” y/n defended. “I just can’t rely on my own thoughts when it comes to what’s best for myself. My brain and my heart don’t always agree with each other.”

“What do you want, y/n?” I asked, straining to keep my eyes on the road and not turn to look at her. “You’re twenty years old, shouldn’t your wants overrule what’s best for you at this point in your life? Isn’t this time in your life all about ‘you only live once’? Why can’t you give us a chance? Fights happen.”

“Fights aren’t supposed to happen all the time,” y/n reasoned, and I knew she was right. “Relationships are supposed to be built on mutual love, care, and trust, not continual fighting. I never said I wasn’t coming out to see you, and I also never said I was giving up on us. I just said I was getting outsider advice and that I was going to spend time thinking about it.”

“You still like me, though, right?” I said, almost begging to hear it.

She let out a breath. “Of course, I still like you, Mark,” she said, silencing most of my fears. “I think I probably like you too much,” she said with a slight laugh. 

I smiled to myself. “I like you too, y/n. And I know I’m a dumbass. Remember that. Remember that I know I’m a dumbass, and I’m incredibly sorry for what happened.”

“I know both of those things,” y/n said, a real smile finally gracing her face. “I’m not promising anything right now. Give me twenty-four hours, alright? I’ll give you a definite answer in twenty-four hours. And I promise I won’t change my mind, regardless of my final answer.”

I nodded, my heart beating wildly as my mind went a thousand different directions all at once. She could say no, she could say yes, she could say she wanted to go back to Gresham and forget we ever happened, there were so many possibilities. It was something I was going to be overthinking all night, while I was all alone in my big bed back in LA.

Y/N sighed somewhat contentedly as I pulled into Iris’s driveway. She gathered up her purse, stashing her phone inside as she made to get out of the car.

“Wait, y/n,” I pleaded, watching as she turned around.

“I’m leaving now…can I get a kiss? I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one…”

She smiled at me, leaning in to give me a sweet, lingering kiss. I moved to pull her closer, but she broke away, giving me a wavering smile. “I like you, Mark.”

My heart soared as I took that as the best possible thing she could’ve said. “I like you too, y/n. A lot.”

“A lot,” she responded with a stronger smile. “I’ll text you in twenty-four hours.”

I looked at the clock. 3:17 PM. I would have to wait until 3:17 PM the next day for a text from her. I knew the hours leading up would be fairly uneventful, but by 3:02 I’d be sweating bullets.

She squeezed my hand before sliding out of the car, shutting the door behind her. I watched her walk into the house before turning the engine on again, pounding the dashboard with one fist. 

“What the fuck is wrong with me??” I cried, rubbing my eyes. There was a big possibility I’d lost the best girl that had ever come into my life, all because of one fucking stupid sentence.

I pulled out of the driveway slowly, fighting tears almost the whole way home. It was all I could do to pray to the God I wasn’t even sure existed that she didn’t board that plane without me at the airport to wish her goodbye.

(Y/N’s POV)

I watched the car pull away before walking up to Iris’s room.

She was sitting on her bed, typing away on her laptop when I walked in, but she quickly shut her laptop and sat up expectantly, a smile on her face.

“So? How’d it go?? Did he kiss you again?” 

I smiled at her briefly, setting my purse on her desk chair. “It was definitely different than the expectations I left with.”

“Good different?” Iris asked, her smile beginning to waver.

“We got in this huge fight, and he said some things that really hurt my feelings,” I explained slowly, watching her expression devolve into sadness. “I told him I’d text him in twenty-four hours after deciding whether I was even going to go stay with him after leaving here.”

“What are you going to do?” Iris asked. “What did he say to you?”

“He just threw a very unhappy relationship into my face,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point. I told him I’d talk to you and Allison about it. I know what I want to do, but just because I want it doesn’t mean it will be good for me. Or healthy, for that matter.”

Iris nodded. “I understand. It can’t possibly be easy. Do you want to call Allison, so we can talk about it as a group?”

I nodded, pulling out my phone and FaceTiming her.

She answered on the second ring, and her reaction was exactly the same as Iris’s. 

“Honey,” Allison said carefully, and my heart dropped as I waited for her answer, “I know you want Iris and me to decide this for you, but we can’t help you here. We haven’t ever had something like this happen so early in a relationship.” Iris nodded in agreement. “You know what you want, and deep down you know what would be the best thing to do. You can’t just go for what you want to be the best thing. But you can’t break your own heart, either.” 

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “What do you think I should do?” I asked, trying to coerce a straight answer from her.

“Y/N…” Allison said disapprovingly, and I tried to fake a smile. “You can’t get me to make this decision for you.”

“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I just have no idea what I even want to do at this point. I really want to cuddle up with him and do a bunch of cute couple shit, but I also want to smack him and board the plane to somewhere where he can’t ever find me.”

“You have twenty-three hours to decide,” Iris said with a slightly cheeky smile, gesturing to the clock which now read 4:22 PM.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “He kept apologizing, I know he’s truly sorry. But I can’t just let him say these hurtful things whenever he gets angry. It’s damaging, not just to me but to us as a whole.”

Allison and Iris nodded, so in sync it was almost scary.

“We’re here for you, babes, no matter what you decide,” Allison said, and Iris laughed. “What she said.”

I nodded. “I think I’ll take a nap and then take you, Iris, out to dinner,” I decided. “I don’t want to focus on this for one night.”

Iris rubbed my shoulders. “Whatever you want.”

I said my goodbyes to Iris and headed back to the room I had shared with Mark.

The pillow still smelled like him, and against my better judgement, I cuddled up with that one and fell asleep almost instantly.

My dreams were full of dark-haired boys with glasses, and I realized I liked him so much, I couldn’t even get him out of my dreams.

How was I ever going to decide what was “best” for me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I kinda started off on fire and then disappeared!! I had all the chapters written out before I even started this account, so I posted them all at once, basically. I'm working on new chapters and things now, but I have schoolwork, my job, and lots of other things demanding my time. Also, writers' block is a bitch. I'm doing my best to update in my free time, I swear.  
> Also, the new girl Renee at Taco Bell that I hated? She didn't show up to work two shifts in a row, so she's already been fired. Idk if I should feel bad or be happy. It's a bit of both, lol.


	8. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark freaks out waiting an entire 24 hours for your final decision. Does he make it? Do you end up leaving him anyway?

(Mark's POV)

It was 11:43 AM. I had somehow managed to sleep fourteen hours, and now I only had 3 hours and 34 minutes until y/n had promised to text me.

I scrambled out of bed, forgoing a shower. I had taken one the night before anyway, right before crashing into bed. 

I somehow managed to coherently set up to record, stumbling my way through a recording of Happy Wheels. 

“And…as always, I will see you guys, in the next one. Buh-bye!” I yelled, faking the biggest smile I could muster. I then logged onto Skype, fighting the urge to click on y/n’s icon, despite the glowing green button on her picture. 

I texted Jack first, and then Felix, asking for a group call.

Felix then called us both at the same time, Jack and I hopping in less than two seconds apart.

“Mark?” Felix asked, looking perplexed. He had his recording headset on, and I mentally smacked myself. “Were you recording, Felix?” I asked, bracing myself.

“Yeah, but this is nothing a little editing can’t fix if you need someone,” he replied. “What’s this about?”

“Prob’ly that lass he’s been having problems with,” Jack interjected, a hint of a smile on his face. “Are ye havin’ more trouble with yer feelings, lad?”

I chuckled at the ridiculousness of his question. “I wish my problems were that simple, Sean,” I snipped, my voice catching. “I wish I hadn’t fucked up irreparably.”

Both of them seemed to make eye contact with each other before looking back at me. “What do ye mean, Mark?” Jack asked finally, after a couple beats of silence. “What did ye do?”

“I won’t go into details,” I rushed out. “That isn’t my place. Let’s just say…y/n was in a relationship in high school that left her with…trust issues, and—and we got into this a-argument yesterday—and she – I – I threw that whole relationship back into her face, e-even though she’d trusted me enough to tell me about it, and now she might be flying back to Gresham and leaving u-us behind.”

Felix let out a breath as he rested his chin in his hand. “This is worse than that time I told Marzia her ass looked flat.”

I rolled my eyes, glancing back at the clock. 12:25. Two hours and fifty-two minutes. Fuck. 

“What do I do? She said she’d text me at 3:15 with a final decision,” I said, beginning to shake. I could feel myself spiraling into a panic attack, and I never fared well when I had those by myself.

“Mark,” Jack said worriedly, his image shaking as he pulled his computer closer to himself. “Mark, look at me, ye need to breathe.” Jack knew what was happening, and Felix probably came to the same conclusion as he noticed Jack’s reaction.

“Mark!” Jack yelled, causing me to look up. My breathing was becoming quick and short, and my vision was beginning to turn black at the edges.

“Felix, do you know y/n’s information?” Jack asked. “Any of it?”

“No, do you?”

“No! Fuck!” Jack screamed. “I’ll have to see if I can find her in his following list on Instagram.”

I wanted to tell them her username, her phone number, anything, but I couldn’t manage to even wheeze coherent words out. My hands were shaking so rapidly they were beginning to blur in my own vision, and I could feel hot tears streaming down my face.

“I found her!” Jack screamed. “But she’s private, goddammit!” 

I gripped the arms of my chair so hard my trembling hands went still. My knuckles were white, and my vision was still slowly leaving, but I forced myself to count to four and back down as I steadied my own breathing.

“Mark, ye need to breathe,” Jack said, and I forced myself to nod heavily. I was struggling. I didn’t know what I would do if she ended up telling me she wasn’t coming back. I’d probably have a full-blown panic attack and then just cry myself to sleep, if I even had the energy after regaining my own sanity.

“Mark, I’m gonna request to follow y/n, alright?” I heard Felix say slowly. “I’ll message her before she even responds, she needs to know you’re in trouble regardless of her decision.”

I couldn’t bring myself to nod. Y/N was the reason this was happening to me, I didn’t want to focus on her anymore.

I could feel the shakiness beginning to slow, and the relief I felt over the panic attack ending shot me into a calmer state almost immediately. 

“J-Jack, I—”

“He’s talkin’!” Jack screamed, almost knocking his webcam over. “Mark, breathe, lad, ye’ll be okay!”

I started to breathe more easily, the breaths coming more steadily and more in rythym. My head began to throb, seeming to realize it had been deprived of oxygen for far too long.

Felix sat back in his chair, his eyes focused on me. I felt myself begin to cry, the gentle tears rattling my very core.

"You've gotta call her, Mark," Felix said, his voice firm. "You can't keep letting yourself go into these kinds of fits over her."

"I-it was an accident," I mumbled, rubbing my face with my hands. "I was just hating on myself for being a dick to y/n, that combined with the realization I might not ever see her again, it all kind of threw me into a spiral."

Jack sighed heavily, taking off his beanie and settling his headphones back onto his head. "For yer sake and ours, mate, I sure hope she says yes. Bein' in love clearly isn't all that good for ye."

I rolled my eyes, but Jack noticed. "I'm serious, Mark, ye're in awfully deep for a girl ye just met a month ago. Over the internet, no less!"

I sighed, knowing he was right. I just hated to admit other people knew more about my own situation than I did.

I glanced at the clock, which read 1:14. Had I really been in a panic-induced state of non-awareness for almost an hour?

I shook that thought off as I realized I now only had 2 hours and 3 minutes until I was supposed to get y/n's answer. And I still hadn't even showered or eaten anything.

"I-I think I'm gonna get going, guys," I said hurriedly. "I need to take a shower, and I'm starving. I'll keep you guys posted?"

"Yes, please do," Jack said earnestly, his bright green hair falling into his eyes as he nodded. "I might just kill ye if ye fail to tell me the lass's final decision."

I chuckled, and although the laugh wasn't big or loud, it was real. And for that, I was grateful for Jack.

Felix nodded. "Tell us both, in that group chat thing we have," he said, leaning in closer to his webcam. "What time did you say she would be texting you?"

"If she keeps track of time as precisely as I have, 3:17," I said with a sigh. "I hate this waiting game, all it does is fry my nerves."

Felix sighed. "Isn't that the truth. Stay strong, brother, we'll be here for you no matter what y/n decides."

I nodded, barely even hearing either of them. "I'll text once I've heard from y/n."

They both spoke their agreements, and the call disconnected. 

I sighed as I pushed back from my desk, making my way into the shower.

The hot water cascaded over my body, and I tried to stretch out the kinks that had formed in my neck and shoulders, but to no real avail. I knew full well they wouldn't really go away until I had talked to y/n, and even then they probably wouldn't go away unless it was a positive response.

I spent 40 minutes in that shower, something I hadn't ever really done before. I'd had 25 minute showers, to be sure, but I'd never spent over half an hour in one shower. It was kind of ridiculous, even for me.

I was hungry but not hungry all at the same time, and I didn't want to eat but I knew I needed to.

I didn't feel like making anything, so I just ordered some Chinese food, and within half an hour I was eating and keeping down my kung pao chicken.

By 2:30 I'd pretty much exhausted everything I had to do, so I pulled some of my extra videos out of my backup stash and set them up to be uploaded for the next couple days, just so I didn't have to do any recording.

With only 45 minutes left to go, give or take, I cleaned up my leftovers and picked up the clothes strewn around my bedroom floor. I even started a load of laundry. I was really being quite productive for someone whose nervous system had basically been fried to a crisp.

By the time I'd finished all my basic chores, it was almost time. I sat in my computer chair, settling my phone before my computer, not sure which one I wanted to light up first.

It was 3:16, and I was sweating bullets. I wrung my hands together anxiously, and I hated that I'd let y/n get so far under my skin. I'd known her less than a month, but I feared Jack's suspicions that I loved her were right. And I hated admitting that I'd been wrong. It wasn't something I did willingly.

At 3:17 sharp, my phone buzzed with y/n's specific vibration, the one I'd set up just for her. My hands were shaking as I unlocked the message, eyes already beginning to tear up in fear of what I would encounter.

y/n: sorry i made you wait so long, but i needed time to figure things out.

y/n: anyway, is the invitation to take over your guest room for a few days still open?

My heart leaped. She still wanted to come see me. I couldn't believe it. I'd been such a jerk, and she was giving me a second chance anyway.

Me: Of course it is, y/n, you knew that from the beginning.

y/n: i suppose i did, lol. i'll see you in three days?

Me: Definitely! I'll make sure to tidy up before you get here.

Me:...are... Are we okay now?

y/n: we're okay as long as you say we are, mark.

Me: I like you, y/n.

y/n: :) i like you too, mark.

After an hour of just texting her back and forth, I mustered up the courage to ask if I could Skype her. She said yes, joyously, so I ran a comb through my hair a couple times and clicked her call button.

"Hi," she breathed out once we connected.

She looked beautiful. Her cheeks seemed to be regaining their color, and I felt myself smiling back at her. I couldn't believe my luck.

"I love you," I blurted out.

Her smile dropped immediately, but hints of it still remained on her pristine features. "What...did you say?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my cheeks burning, and there was no doubt that they were redder than they'd ever been before.

"I...I love you, y/n," I said, my heart thumping from a mix of nervousness and relief, that finally I knew my feelings for y/n were solid. "And...and it's okay if you don't feel the same quite yet, y/n, but I just feel like you should know how I feel. You make me happier than any woman has ever made me feel, fan or otherwise. When you forgave me and said you still wanted to come see me, I felt like the luckiest man in the world. You're so beautiful, y/n, and you're perfect to me. I can't believe I got lucky enough to meet you, and I'm going to do my best to not screw up from this point on."

Y/N had tears running down her face, but the smile that lit up her eyes could make any man weak at the knees. I selfishly hoped that no man would ever see her smile that way, so full of love and hope. Even if she didn't know it yet, I could feel it, she loved me too.

"Mark..." she said, running a hand over her somewhat messy hair. "I don't even know what to say, I can't believe someone actually feels this way about me..."

"You don't have to say anything, y/n," I assured her, feeling my heart swell with what could only be love for this beautiful girl on the other side of the screen. "I love you, I plan on keeping you, and I'm perfectly alright with waiting as long as you need to wait to hear those words from you. As long as that someday comes, I'm willing to wait for eternity."

"God, Mark, you talk like someone wrote you," y/n laughed, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"Who knows? Maybe all this is, in fact, fiction," I replied. "The author's probably trying to make me set unrealistic standards for men everywhere."

"I don't know, you speak pretty eloquently," y/n said, an easy, content smile on her face as she rested her chin in her hand. "Besides, even if this was all a fiction, I'd still want to be right by your side."

She took a deep breath, looking me right in the eyes.

"I love you too, Mark. I really, really do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes!! Sorry this took forever and a day to get out!! I've been working so many more hours, but we're trying to hire new people so I and others don't have to work as much. Plus, since my family fosters children, we currently have 4 children in our house under the age of 5. It's not a lot of fun, to be real honest with you. That, combined with schoolwork and writer's block (shitty excuse but true excuse, I'm very sorry) makes for a shitty upload schedule. I'll try to start writing more, but with my own personal goal of 2,500 words per chapter, sometimes I get down on myself for not doing more. I'll do my best. Please bear with me.


	9. Not-So-Terrible Goodbyes and Pineapple Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After enjoyi....well, after having lunch with Iris and her boyfriend on your last day with her, you take a cab to Mark's place. Hopefully this goes well...

It was my last day with Iris. After our lunch date, I would be heading to Mark's place to spend four days with him before flying back to Gresham to spend the last six weeks of summer with childhood friends and family.

Iris's boyfriend, Jonathan, had accompanied us on our lunch outing so I could meet him and be a third wheel all at the same time.

"Iris and I met while I was working at the bowling alley about two miles from the country club," Jonathan said dreamily, and I nodded, pretending I knew where the bowling alley and the country club were.

"She was bowling with her friends, and I couldn't keep my eyes off the red-headed beauty on lane 4."

Iris rolled her eyes, but the blush on her face was very noticeable. "I just can't believe we've been together a whole year and a half," she said, gazing lovingly into her boyfriend's eyes.

I loved Iris, but I wanted to throw up. Or gouge out Jonathan's oh-so-perfect, seafoam-green eyes. But then Iris probably wouldn't like me. 

I was considering stabbing myself in the throat with a fork when I realized it was after 2 o'clock. I'd told Mark I'd be at his house around 3, and not only did I hate being late, I loved having an excuse to remove myself from the couple who seemed to be melting into a puddle of disgusting, gooey PDA.

Don't get me wrong, I loved forehead kisses and hand-holding and even stolen kisses in public. I liked knowing I was liked enough to be loved on in public. But the way these two were going at each other, you would've thought he was trying to remove her uvula with his tongue.

"Iris, it's 2:15, I've got to go," I said quietly. Iris finally unlatched herself from her slobber-covered boyfriend and hurriedly wiped off her own mouth.

"Call me when you make it there safe, alright?" Iris asked, and I nodded, although if she was going to continue being this way with Jonathan, I doubted she'd even hear her phone ring.

She hugged me tightly, and I grabbed my wheeled suitcase and shouldered my backpack before heading outside to hail a taxi.

Once I finally managed to get one to pull over, I told him the address of Mark's apartment building, and we were off.

We passed the airport, and I watched the large passenger planes land and take off with grace and ease, and although I didn't want to leave Mark, ever, I couldn't wait to feel as serene as I had on the way over, so far up in the clouds the world below was obsolete.

It was almost 3:20 when we finally pulled up in front of the dauntingly tall apartment complex. What seemed like hundreds of floors of windows stared down at me, and I felt small and meek compared to this seemingly powerful building.

The taxi driver was very gracious even when I came up three dollars short in cash, I retrieved his information and promised to come by with what I owed plus extra for his trouble.

"You're the first polite taxi driver I've come across," I admitted, and he smiled at me.

"We ain't all the same, miss, and you seem to be lost as it is," he said, his gruff voice charming. "You seem to be a trustworthy type, so just make sure you get those three dollars in before you leave, alright?"

"I will, I promise," I said as I shook his hand. "I'll get it to you by tomorrow."

"Have a good one, miss," he said as he pulled off, and I shouldered my backpack again and headed inside.

The lobby was white and pristine, and did nothing to calm my nerves or help me feel like I belonged. 

The lady at the desk, however, was quite welcoming.

"Are you here to look at an apartment, ma'am?"

"Oh, no," I said with a slight laugh. "I'm just here visiting my boyfriend for a few days." 

The slightly older woman smiled at me, a twinkle in her eye. "Could I have a name, young lady?"

"His name is Mark Fischbach," I explained, and she clicked a few times on her computer, scrolling for what seemed like forever.

"Now, what's your name?" she asked. 

"Y/N Y/L/N?"

"Sorry about that, dear, I just had to make sure your name was the one he gave me. His apartment number is O-44," she said finally. "Would you like a spare key?"

I graciously accepted, knowing I'd return it before I left.

I stepped inside the glass elevator, doing my best to stay to one side as the terrifying clear box rose higher and higher until we made it to floor O, not a moment too soon.

I stepped out, looking up and down the long, white halls. Even the carpet seemed to be immaculately clean, and I immediately felt an urge to take off my shoes before traipsing up and down the halls looking for Mark's apartment.

Luckily, I found O-44 quite quickly, and I didn't hesitate to try the knob. When I found it locked, I unlocked it as quietly as I could before stepping inside.

I could hear Mark shouting obscenities from down the hall, and I laughed to myself as I locked the door behind me and toed off my shoes.

I could make out more of what he was saying as I silently made my way down the hall, and he appeared to be playing Five Nights at Freddy's 3. It was probably the scariest, in my opinion, and to hear him yelling about it on camera was quite amusing to me.

I eased open the door to his recording room, thankfully without much noise. His headphones were on, and he seemed to be fully engrossed in his game.

I stood there for a minute, just watching him lose himself in what he loved. He was so lovely, I couldn't believe I'd gotten so lucky.

I shook myself out of my reverie and snuck up behind his chair. I watched him play for a few seconds, knowing he was about to get jump-scared.

As soon as he jumped, I yelled, "I'M HERE!" and watched him scream even louder for a solid three seconds.

I doubled over laughing, as Mark sat in his chair trying to catch his breath.

"Y/N, you scared the shit out of me!" Mark cried, and my only response was to laugh even harder. He had a hand over his chest, and I'm sure his heartbeat was out of control. I couldn't help it, I found it so entertaining.

"You...you're here!" Mark said excitedly, as if realizing it for the first time. He jumped up out of his chair and wrapped me in a big hug, picking me up off the floor for a couple of seconds.

"I missed you," he mumbled, burying his face in my hair.

I laughed. "I missed you too, you big goof," I said, hugging him tighter.

He turned back to his camera, quickly switching it off and saving his game. "You're here, that's second fiddle now. Let me give you the grand tour."

He showed me the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, and both bedrooms, and told me I could either sleep in his room or in the guest room. Even though it was entirely up to me, I still saw his big smile when I put my things down in his room.

"So what do you wanna do?" he asked as I settled myself into his couch. "I mean, LA is a big city, there's lots of things..."

"Mark," I laughed, "we can explore tomorrow. Right now, I'm tired. I want to cuddle up to you on this couch and tell you how absolutely disgusting Iris and her boyfriend are. Then, maybe we can order a pizza and watch a movie. I'm here for another three days, we have all the time in the world."

Mark smiled at me, his eyes crinkling up in the most adorable way.

"I love you," he sighed out, coming to sit next to me on the couch.

"I love you too," I said, feeling a smile on my face as well.

He hugged me into him, and I gladly leaned farther in. He was so comfortable, it was hard to resist.

I sighed contentedly, and Mark followed suit.

"Hey, tell me how disgusting Iris and her boyfriend are," Mark said, nudging me just a bit. "You said you wanted to."

I nodded, and launched into a detailed story about my time third-wheeling, trying to describe but not over-describe my lovely front-row seat to Iris and Jonathan's tonsil hockey game. 

By the time I was finished, Mark was laughing so hard he was almost bouncing on the couch.

"That's super gross," he agreed, stretching back on the sofa. "You may have ruined my pizza appetite."

I giggled, sitting up and stretching myself. "You can never not have an appetite for pizza."

"You're right," Mark conceded, reaching for his phone. "You like a lot of meat on your pizza? Like, sausage, bacon, the works?"

"My favorite kind of pizza," I said with a smile. "And if you wanna throw some pineapple on there too, I wouldn't mind."

Mark made a face. "You eat pineapple on your pizza? That's gross."

I playfully scowled back at him. "You don't eat pineapple on your pizza? That's weird."

Mark set his phone down on the coffee table. "I may have to rethink this relationship, y/n, we just...we don't have enough in common."

"Oh, stop it," I said with a laugh. "You love me."

In one swift motion, Mark pulled me onto him, so I was straddling his lap. His hands rested on the backs of my thighs, just below my butt.

"You're right," he said with a smile. "Now, I believe it is time for me to challenge you to a game of tonsil hockey."

"Oh boy, what a turn-off," I joked, running a hand through his hair. "You should've just said you wanted to kiss me."

"Okay, fine," Mark said with an eyeroll. "Just fucking kiss me."

I gave in, leaning down to give him a kiss. He immediately pulled me closer, squeezing the backs of my thighs where his hands rested. I threaded my fingers through his hair, leaning farther into him so I could attempt to pull him closer to myself.

He groaned slightly as he moved his hands to the waistband of my shirt, playing with the hem as if asking for permission.

I smiled into the continuing kiss as I gently nudged his fingertips up under the hem of my shirt, then returning my hands to his hair.

He seemed to get the hint, inching his hands farther up my abdomen. I shivered in response to his touch, but our lips never parted.

His hands rested just below my bra, warming the skin underneath them. He was just about to inch his fingers up under the fabric of my bra when his phone started ringing, startling us both.

I jumped off of him, stifling a laugh as he picked up his phone, a dazed look in his eyes.

"Hello?"

I couldn't hear the other half of the conversation, but the look on Mark's face was less than enthused, even though he kept his tone jovial.

I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out my own cell phone, googling and dialing a nearby pizza place. I could hear Mark attempting to wrap up his phone call as I placed an order for one large quadruple-meat pizza, and then another small quadruple-meat pizza with pineapple added. I finished up the order just as Mark walked into the room, his hair disheveled slightly and a somewhat goofy smirk on his face.

"That was fun," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me from behind. 

"Mhm," I mumbled in response, leaning backwards into his touch. "I ordered the pizza, by the way."

"Great, thanks. I'll pay?"

"No, I'll pay. It's in my name."

"Y/N..."

"Mark..."

"Split it, then?"

"Alright, fine," I agreed, throwing up my hands in mock surrender. "You're lucky you're cute."

"I'm not cute," Mark argued, his hand on his chest. "I'm manly! I'm masculine!"

I laughed. "Sure you are, Mark. You run with that."

Mark scowled at me. "Say I'm manly or I'm not gonna let you pay for any of the pizza."

"You wouldn't," I sneered back, although I was unable to fight the smile on my face."

"I would, and you know for a fact that I would," Mark replied, folding his arms across his chest ever so triumphantly.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should," I fired back, poking a finger at him playfully.

"And just because I shouldn't doesn't mean I won't," Mark said, sticking his tongue out at me dramatically.

"You are so lucky I love you," I said with a roll of my eyes. 

Mark's arms dropped to his sides, a beautiful smile overcoming his features. "Believe me, y/n, I know."

I smiled back, and he came in closer, putting his hands on my face as he drew me in for a kiss.

"I love you," he said sweetly when he pulled away.

I smiled brightly at him. "I love you too."

He kissed my forehead before letting go of my face, turning towards the door just in time for knocking to be heard. 

"I got it!" Mark and I yelled in unison as we both bolted for the door.

Mark, however, managed to get to it first, even though he didn't even have his wallet on his person.

"Don't pay the whole thing, y/n!" I heard him yell from his bedroom. "I've almost got my half!"

"Whatever the change is, keep it as a tip," I said with a smile, handing him one of the hundred-dollar bills my mother had given me before I left. 

"Wow, miss, thanks!" he said brightly, pocketing the bill and turning to leave.

"You paid the whole thing, didn't you?" Mark said, feigning hurt as he walked into the living room with a handful of bills.

"I did, but you can take me by the Brighter Days Cab Company tomorrow and use that cash to pay the rest of what I owe to the cab driver I had today," I responded. "I still owe him like three dollars. All I had left were the hundreds my mom gave me, and he didn't have the change to break it."

Mark sighed. "I hate you," he said with a slight chuckle.

"No you don't," I quipped back with a smirk. "You love me."

He sighed again, more dramatically than the last time. "You're right," he said, pretending to be exasperated. "I love you too," he said genuinely, coming over to me. 

He acted like he was going in for a kiss, but at the last moment he stole both pizza boxes from me.

"Hey!" I yelled as he disappeared into the kitchen, his laughter loud and boisterous.

I stood there, a goofy smile on my face as I waited for his reaction to my little personal pizza.

"Y/N!! You got pineapple!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY, SINCE I'M SUPER INCONSISTENT AND STUFF I'VE DECIDED TO INCORPORATE A NEW UPLOADING SCHEDULE
> 
> At least one (1) chapter every Friday, possibly more. To be uploaded by 3 PM Eastern Standard Time.
> 
> At least one (1) chapter every Sunday, again, possibly more. To be uploaded by 4 PM EST.
> 
> I may or may not post on other days of the week, but Fridays and Sundays will be definite upload days. I'm even going to put reminders in my calendar. 
> 
> Thanks for putting up with my inconsistency thus far. I promise to be better at uploading on time. :)


	10. To Valencia and Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mark take on LA for a day, but not before having your own adventures at home. How well does this day go?
> 
> **THERE IS SEXUAL CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

(Mark's POV)  
I wish I could say I woke up to the sun streaming through my windows, with y/n sleeping peacefully beside me, our clothes still strewn carelessly across the floor. 

Unfortunately, I woke up to the sounds of a bustling, somewhat angry Las Angeles.

Y/N was, in fact, sleeping beside me, her hair covering most of her face. Her t-shirt -- or, I should say, my t-shirt, hehe -- seemed to be twisted around her torso rather uncomfortably. I wanted to fix it, but she seemed to be sleeping fine regardless, so I let it be.

I closed the curtains to make it a little easier for her to sleep, then I tiptoed into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

The hot water cascaded over my body as my mind went through everything y/n and I could do today.

I stopped in the middle of washing my hair as I realized I didn't know that much about what she liked. Was she into art museums? Did she prefer a day splashing about in a waterpark? Would she want to movie-hop all day? I mentally kicked myself as I finished up my shower, making a mental note to ask y/n what she wanted to do.

I dressed as quietly as I could, y/n still deep in slumber. I kissed her forehead as gently as I could before slipping down to the kitchen to start breakfast.

I made my specialty—plain ol’ pancakes—and soon enough, a very sleepy looking y/n made her way downstairs, my t-shirt barely covering her butt.

I could hardly tear my eyes away from her as she ran a hand through her hair. Her eyes, though tired, sparkled just the same, and she shot me a dazzling smile as she opened the fridge.

“What ‘cha looking for?” I asked casually, although I was definitely not subtly checking out her figure as she bent over into my refrigerator. 

“You have any apple juice?” she replied. She stood up, shaking out her hair again. I subconsciously wiped the corners of my mouth, hoping to God I wasn’t drooling.

“Um, if I do, it’s probably in the back on the middle shelf,” I told her, doing my best to keep my voice neutral. “If not, we can run and pick some up.”

“Found it,” she said triumphantly, pulling out a half-full bottle of apple juice. “I love apple juice with pancakes. I know it’s weird, but it just feels right to me.”

“I’m sure, the same way you think pineapple and pizza feels right.”

She rolled her eyes, coming over and hugging me from behind. “I paid for it, you have no teasing rights, mister.”

“I told you not to pay for it,” I informed her, setting down the bowl of batter to turn around and face her. “Therefore, I have full teasing rights.”

She rolled her eyes again, but her smile was still just as bright. “I love you, you doofus.”

“I love you too,” I said with a smile, leaning down to kiss her.

Her arms reached around my neck as I snuck a hand behind my back, switching off the pancake griddle. Only two were on there, even if they burned it wouldn’t be a terrible loss. 

My hands quickly returned to y/n’s waist, sneaking up under the fabric of the t-shirt. Y/N arched into me, her body pressing against mine. I felt my face heat up at the contact, and I pulled her even closer into me.

Our kisses became more aggressive, and I let my hands go up even farther, heating up her bare skin.

Y/N shivered, giggling ever so lightly into the kiss. One of my hands covered her right breast, massaging it as my other hand went up into her hair. She moaned slightly, and I felt myself begin to push my lower region towards hers, attempting to get some sort of friction.

She pulled away after a moment, her breathing unsteady. “I…um…do you think this is too fast?”

I dropped my hands to her waist, looking back at her. “I’m okay with whatever you’re okay with.”

She blushed, biting her bottom lip. “I just…don’t think I’m ready,” she admitted, her voice small. She kept looking at her fingers, seemingly refusing to make eye contact.

“Hey,” I said, nudging her slightly. I put my hands on her face and angled her face up towards my own, so she had to look at me.

“I’m okay with waiting for you. I’ll wait an eternity and then some, even if you’re never ready. I love you, y/n, you don’t have to be embarrassed about not being ready.”

She smiled at me, finally, and I kissed her forehead. “I love you,” she said contentedly.

“Now come on, your pancakes are gonna get cold,” I joked, shoveling some onto her plate.

We sat down at the table, and I poured some syrup onto my plate as I asked her where she wanted to go.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “This city is so big and so incredible, I don’t even know where I want to start.”

“What are you into?” I asked, hoping to obtain something I could at least start with. “We could go to the Museum of Contemporary Art, if you’re into that.”

She looked pensive for a moment. “That could be cool.”

“Or we could drive to Valencia, they’ve got the Six Flags waterpark.”

Y/N’s eyes lit up. “Can we? We can go to the museum tomorrow, I haven’t been to a waterpark in years!”

I smiled at her excitement. “Sure, baby. We can go as soon as we get cleaned up and ready.”

Her cheeks tinged pink at my pet name, but her smile remained bright. “You’re the absolute best,” she told me, leaning across the table to give me an ever-so-slightly sticky kiss.

We cleaned up the kitchen together, my phone connected to a speaker and blaring the latest hits on my Apple Music radio. We screamed the lyrics at each other, laughing the whole time. 

I hadn’t realized I’d splashed water on the floor while washing dishes, so when y/n stepped in the puddle, she went straight down to the floor, the wind knocked out of her.

“Jesus, y/n, are you okay?” I asked frantically, putting my hands on her waist without even drying them off.

“I think so,” she said, drawing a slow breath in. “It shocked me more than anything. I’m not hurt.”

“You sure?” I asked, helping her up. 

“Yeah,” she said, her smile returning. “Just pay more attention next time, you’re so messy!”

I smiled at her. “Says the one with a billion bobby pins scattered across my vanity.”

“You’re gonna talk to me about having bobby pins when you have a vanity? And you know its name?” she cried, laughing.

I rolled my eyes. “Touché.”

After cleaning up, y/n got to the shower first, and I couldn’t help but watch her figure in her towel as she entered the bedroom after finishing up.

She noticed me staring and blushed, attempting to hide her face even though I had very clearly seen it.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, y/n, you’re beautiful.”

She shook her head subtly, but I caught it just the same. 

“Why are you disagreeing? Have you even seen yourself?”

“Yeah, Mark, that’s why I’m disagreeing,” she said with a short, forced laugh. “I see this every day, it’s nothing extraordinary.”

I shook my head as un-subtly as I could, standing and walking over to her. Putting my hands on her waist, I turned her towards my mirror.

“Look at yourself,” I told her gently, and she reluctantly did so. Her wet hair fell on her shoulders, and her complexion appeared to glow, even under the redness her cheeks had bestowed upon themselves.

“Look at this,” I said, my voice softer. “Your figure is to die for, you made me weak in the knees when I saw your whole body for the first time.”

A smile started to appear on y/n’s face, and I took that as my cue to keep going. I crouched down, putting my hands on her ankles.

“Your legs are incredible, if you let me, my hands probably wouldn’t be able to stay off them.”

I moved my hands up the length of her legs, until I reached her waist, my hands underneath her towel.

“Have you ever noticed that my hands fit perfectly right here?” I asked, squeezing her sides as gently as I could. “Your curves are so, so sexy, I can’t begin to describe how attractive they are to me.”

I looked into her eyes for further permission, and when she didn’t pull away, I pushed my hands farther up until they both rested on her breasts, one hand on each of them.

“And in my opinion, these are the best stress balls I’ve ever had,” I said, earning a bright, if slightly embarrassed smile.

“Can I take your towel off, y/n?”

Her eyes widened, but she nodded, allowing me to spin her out of the fuzzy fabric.

And then, my eyes didn’t know where to look.

(Y/N’s POV)

His eyes scanned every part of my body, seemingly unable to focus on one part. I subconsciously moved my hands to start covering myself up, but he quickly grabbed my hands, moving them away from the rest of my body.

“Absolutely not,” he mumbled, his voice rough. “Don’t ever cover yourself up, not for me.”

I blushed even deeper then, not knowing what else to say.

“Do you want me to take my clothes off, too?” Mark asked. I nodded, knowing that would make me if even slightly more comfortable.

I watched him as he quickly took off his clothes, holding his hands out once he was fully naked for me to take them.

“You’re absolutely stunning, y/n,” he breathed, his hands resting on my hips. “I—I can’t even begin to tell you how absolutely gorgeous you are.”

I smiled. “You’re not too bad, yourself,” I said, the first words I’d said in what felt like forever.

He smiled at me then, leaning forwards to kiss me.

I pulled him closer, until our bodies touched, and an unfamiliar feeling shivered through my whole body. He licked at my bottom lip, and I allowed him into my mouth, every feeling coursing through my veins a new and indescribable one.

Without a care in the world, I threw away my previous statements, falling deeper in love with the man I made love to, praying he didn’t crush the heart I was placing in his hands.

(Mark’s POV)

It was after 12:30 by the time we left for the waterpark. Y/N had never seemed more beautiful to me, and I could hardly keep my eyes off of her as we made the drive to Valencia. 

Her head rested on her hand as she gazed out the window, and I longed to know what was on her mind.

“Penny for your thoughts,” I offered up, breaking the comfortable silence.

She looked over at me, then, smiling brightly. “Thanks, I’ll take it.”

“Anything specific on your mind?”

She shook her head, the smile never leaving. “Just us.”

“What about us?”

“Nothing in particular, really. Just how far we’ve come in so little time.”

I smiled back at her as she said that, reaching over to place a hand on her thigh. “I love you, y/n.”

“I love you too, Mark.”

We arrived at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor not a moment too soon. Y/N grabbed her bag, which she’d stuffed full of sunscreen, towels, and all sorts of snacks. She jumped out of the car before I’d even turned it off, her eyes full of excitement.

“Come on, let’s go!” she yelled as I stepped out of the car, laughing at her. “We gotta get in as soon as we can!”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as busy as I’d expected, for a hot mid-summer day. There were clusters of people here and there, but for the most part, it was practically quiet.

We bought a locker, squeezing y/n’s bag inside. We ditched our flip-flops there too, before taking off to find the biggest slide there.

Y/N looked incredible in her white swimsuit, it was almost sexier than her purple bikini, even though this one was a one-piece. I wanted to rest my hands on her butt as we waited in line, but I knew she’d never let me do that. So, I simply randomly pinched her derriere from time to time, laughing as she swatted at me with bright-red cheeks.

We spent six hours there, and I’ll never know how we didn’t get sunburned, since we only applied sunscreen three times. By the time we headed out, our hair was soaked, and our swimsuits, although we’d wrung them out, were already making the bottom of y/n’s bag damp.

“We’ll throw that in the dryer when we get home,” I quipped as she stuffed an entire granola bar into her mouth, unable to hide the giant smile on her face.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, confused.

“You said ‘home,’ like, we live together,” she said, her eyes getting dreamy.

A wave of panic smacked me in the chest. We lived together? What?

“I’m sorry?”

Her smile began to disappear, as a confused expression started taking over her face. “You said we’d throw that in the dryer when we got home, I just thought it was interesting that you worded it like that.”

Oh, so I had. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to nod. “Yeah, interesting. Where do you want to go to eat?”

(Y/N’s POV)

I wasn’t going to admit it, but it seemed like Mark was trying to deny having said that, and it seemed to me like he was implying he hated the idea of living together. I was probably jumping to conclusions, but it did hurt a little.

“Um, wherever’s fine,” I said, finishing off my granola bar. “Maybe Chinese?”

Mark nodded absentmindedly. “There’s a great little place a few blocks down the road from my apartment building, we can go there.”

I voiced my agreement, pulling my phone out to distract myself as we drove back to LA.

Not a word was spoken as we ate our dinner, although Mark looked like he wanted to say something more than once. I kept to myself, eating my noodles and bourbon chicken without much interruption. My phone rang at one point, letting me know Iris was calling, but I let it ring through to voicemail, making a mental note to call her later.

The drive home was made in silence as well, and it wasn’t until we got inside that he finally broke the silence.

Mark wrapped his arms around me from behind, his chin on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I freaked out,” he mumbled. “I didn’t think through what I was saying, and you made it sound like you wanted to move in, and it scared me a little.”

I took a deep breath. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I should’ve talked to you at dinner, that was painful.”

“Yeah, but at least we weren’t screaming at each other.”

Mark laughed. “That’s always a good thing.”

I turned around in Mark’s arms, and he kissed me soundly. When he pulled away, he kissed my forehead before pulling me into a proper hug.

“I love you, you know.”

I yawned, despite myself. “Yeah, I do know. And I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I had planned to start my consistent schedule last Friday (January 19th) because Fridays and Sundays are more often than not days I have scheduled off. However, last Friday I was called in to work from 2 to 6, I worked on Saturday anyway, and then on Sunday I went to see my boyfriend, and I had planned to upload at his place but his wifi was down. So, here we are, starting today!! I hope you all like this chapter, I really crammed to get it finished. See you guys on Sunday!!


	11. Nightmares and Makeup Sex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up at 2 AM. Mark's mad. Does this ever go well?
> 
> In case you couldn't tell by the chapter title, there IS sexual content in this chapter and it is MUCH more graphic than in the last chapter. It starts when I switch to Mark's POV. I will mark the end of it. You will not miss any part of the plot by skipping it.

Y/N’s POV

I woke up around 2 AM that night, to Mark climbing out of bed at an unusually quick speed.

“Mark?” I mumbled, trying to keep my eyes open. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he snapped, leaving the bedroom.

I rubbed at my eyes, sitting up. I heard him enter the room next to the bedroom, which I knew was his recording studio. I brushed it off to him having a late-night stroke of genius for some video idea, but when a few minutes had gone by with not even a peep from the other room, I got out of bed to investigate.

I knew the walls were mostly sound-proofed, but I’d sat through about a half-hour of his recording the evening I got here, I could sometimes hear game noises and his yelling. So, no sound whatsoever was rather curious.

I pressed my ear up to the door and heard him talking – but to whom, I couldn’t tell.

“Mark, the lass was sleepin’,” came a strong Irish accent. “Ye really think she’d say some other lad’s name in her sleep on purpose?”

“I’ve never even heard of the guy’s name she used, she’s told me about all her siblings. She’s not that close with her extended family, I feel like she wouldn’t mumble a cousin’s name in her sleep randomly like that.”

“But how do you know?” came another accent that I couldn’t quite distinguish. “Maybe it’s a baby name she particularly likes, how well can you know someone after just a month?”

“Who mumbles baby names in their sleep?” Mark growled back. “She’s probably just a slut.”

Both other voices started reprimanding Mark for his comment, but I stumbled back, appalled at his statement. He was calling me a slut for saying someone else’s name in my sleep? I couldn’t even remember the dream I had. Whose name had I even said? Nobody had ever meant as much as Mark did to me, and I hadn’t even had a legitimate boyfriend since Aaron from junior year. And technically, he hadn’t even been a legitimate boyfriend.

Tears running down my face, I ran back to the bedroom, attempting to get back into the position I’d been in before Mark returned.

I didn’t think I’d be able to fall back to sleep after hearing Mark’s harsh words, but somehow, I did.

Mark threw a plate at me, and I only narrowly dodged it.

“Mark, please!” I cried, covering my ears with my hands, “I said I was sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t cover it, you cheating bitch!” he screamed, searching around him for something else to hurl at me. “You said another man’s name and you don’t even have the audacity to tell me who it is!”

“There isn’t anyone else, Mark, I love you!”

“BULLSHIT!” he raged, flinging another plate directly at my head.

“I don’t even know whose name I said!!” I screamed, hot tears streaming down my face and burning my eyes.

He came closer, his black eyes the only thing I could see.

His hand clenched my neck, bringing me up from my crouching position to stand before him, eye to eye.

“You said Aaron,” he growled, before slinging me to the ground in a heap.

I screamed as I woke up, my hands freezing cold and my neck still feeling like it was being squeezed. 

I sat there for a couple minutes, clutching my chest as I attempted to bring my breathing back to a normal rate. 

Mark walked into the room just then, barely even glancing at me.

“Mark, I—I think I’m having a p-panic attack,” I heaved, reaching for him, but he backed up. 

“I can’t handle this right now,” he growled, walking out of the bedroom. A few seconds passed, and I heard the door to the apartment slam, and tears welled up in my eyes almost instantly. He’d left me.

I stood up, managing to steady myself, and stumbled into his recording studio, hoping I could find (and possibly talk to) whoever he’d been talking to a bit before.

I clicked onto his Skype and made the group call to the people it said he’d just been talking to.

“Mark, we just told ye to go to sleep,” the same Irish accent snarked as the call connected. My eyes widened as I saw Jacksepticeye on the screen, and then I realized it had been a Swedish accent I’d been hearing as Pewdiepie filled up the other square.

I hurried to dry my eyes as both men tried to figure out who they were looking at.

“Ye’re not Mark, lass,” Jack commented, and Pewdiepie sort of just sat there. 

“I – I’m y/n,” I mumbled, sniffling.

“Ooooh!” They looked at each other before looking back at me.

“Gosh, ye’re beautiful,” Jack commented, before snapping himself out of it. 

Felix looked more closely at me. “Are you okay? You look like you’re crying.”

“I—” I broke into fresh cries as I relived the story. “I heard Mark call me a slut, and I-I don’t even know whose name I said, I can’t even remember the dream I’d been having. And then – then I had this nightmare that he got violent with me, and I started having a panic attack when I woke up and he—he just walked out on me. He left the apartment, I don’t know where he is.”

Felix let out a breath. “What has gotten into him?” Jack asked, running a hand through his hair. “Are ye okay, lass? Are ye still havin’ a panic attack?”

I shook my head, though the anxiety over Mark just leaving me was very much still present.

Jack groaned, throwing himself back in his desk chair. “Why’d ye call us, y/n?” he asked just then. “Ye’ve never spoke to us before right now.”

“I—I don’t know,” I answered, suddenly feeling very small and awkward. “I just—don’t have anyone else to call right now, and I heard you guys yelling at Mark for calling me a slut, so I figured you might be able to help me. I’m sorry if I bothered you…”

“No, no, no, that’s not it at all!” Felix butted in, and Jack nodded in agreement. “We were just curious as to why you picked us specifically.”

I nodded, pulling my shirt tighter around me. New tears welled up in my eyes at the realization that it was Mark’s shirt, and I sniffled loudly in an attempt to keep myself under control.

“Ye seem quite distraught, little bird,” Jack said quietly. “How far have ye and Mark come, exactly?”

“How fast are we going?” I asked, not meaning to sound rude. “I…we…slept together yesterday, for the first time, and we’ve been saying ‘I love you’ for about, maybe, a week? Maybe we’re moving too quickly, but he’s always made me feel so special, and so loved, even before we’d met in person, and I just…I know it’s probably too soon to be saying ‘I love you,’ but I really think I do.”

Felix and Jack looked at each other before looking back at me.

“I’m gonna be honest, y/n, we can tell he loves ye, too,” Jack admitted. “He’s honestly the most infatuated with ye than we’ve ever seen him with any of the girls he’s introduced us to.”

“Not that there have been many,” Felix interjected. “But he had a huge panic attack when he thought you might just go home and not see him again after you two had that fight about whatever it is he threw in your face, we were trying to find you and get you to call him, he was such a wreck.”

I almost smiled at that. “He just seems so bipolar sometimes, like whenever he thinks there’s even a possibility that I might leave, he gets mad at me, like it’s my fault. I don’t know how to handle it. Or him, sometimes, to be honest.”

I grabbed a Kleenex and began to dry my face, as Felix and Jack kept looking at each other.

“What do you guys think I should do?” I asked, completely at a loss for ideas. “I—I kind of just want to go home.”

“Ye shouldn’t do that without at least talkin’ ta him, little bird,” Jack said rather quickly. “He’d be devastated.”

“I’m devastated!” I cried, pointing to myself. “He didn’t even have the balls to talk to me about what I said in my sleep first, he just called me a slut and walked out on me in the middle of a panic attack!”

Felix held up his hands in surrender. “I’m honestly on her side,” he said, and Jack rolled his eyes.

“I’m not takin’ sides,” he said hotly, his accent becoming thicker the faster he talked. “I’m sayin’ she should talk ta Mark about it, before leavin’ him high and dry without a word.”

“Did he say what name I said?” I asked, stopping in my tracks as a thought struck me. “In my nightmare, he had his hand around my throat as he growled at me that I’d said the name Aaron.”

“He said you said Aaron,” Felix replied, and a shiver went down my spine. “That’s spooky.”

I let out a shaky breath. “That’s—that’s my ex-boyfriend’s name.”

“Oh, that’s not gonna go over well,” Felix breathed out.

“No, no, Mark might understand,” I said quickly, my mind racing. “Aaron and I dated for eight months in my junior year of high school, but the entire time he’d been dared to keep going out with me, his friends even gave him money to try to get me to do things. I used to have this nightmare all the time that he came back and attacked me, and my mother always yelled at me the next morning for ‘moaning’ in my sleep. I’m willing to bet I started having that nightmare again, but because I was woken up so quickly I didn’t remember.”

“What a dick,” Jack growled. 

“Who goes out with a girl for eight months on a dare?” Felix said in agreement. “That’s fucking appalling.”

“Aaron did,” I said with a shrug. I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “I just wish I knew where Mark was.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” came a voice from behind me.

Swirling around in the chair, I came face-to-face with Mark, and I couldn’t help but feel just a little déjà vu. 

“Mark, I—” 

“Sh, y/n, you’ve said enough already. I should’ve talked to you before walking out, I’m so sorry.”

I turned back to Felix and Jack, but both of them had already disconnected, leaving a single message of “GOOD LUCK!” on the screen.

“Baby, say something,” Mark pleaded.

“You—you’re right, you should’ve talked to me,” I snapped, suddenly angry. “You left me in the middle of a panic attack because I randomly said some guy’s name in my sleep? One you know brings back nothing but bad memories? I mean, really, Mark, how could you?”

He hung his head, refusing to make eye contact. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a dick move that was. And I know it was. It was a terribly shitty thing to do, and I shouldn’t have done it. But I—I just love you so much, the thought of giving you up or losing you to someone else makes me insane, literally. I can’t think rationally when that sort of thing happens. It scares me, a lot.”

I sighed, standing up from the computer chair. “You can’t just walk out every time you get scared, Mark. What happens if you get too scared to come back?”

“The thought of leaving you is scarier than that,” he admitted, coming closer to me. “I just can’t handle the idea of losing you, period.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, crossing my arms over my chest. “I love you, Mark, but you can’t keep doing this.”

“I know, I know,” Mark responded, putting his hands on my waist. “Can—can I make it up to you?”

(Mark’s POV)

Her eyes widened, and her expression flickered, and I tried to read her eyes, but I couldn’t. I took her hand, leading her back into the bedroom, where I proceeded to pull off her t-shirt. I wasted no time in pulling her to me, kissing her as gently as I could while at the same time trying to be aggressive. 

Her mouth opened rather quickly, and I felt the electricity light up my entire being. I moved my mouth down her neck, small breaths escaping from her quickly as I guided her to lay back on the bed.

“What—” she started.

“Hush, just let me take care of you,” I said lowly, continuing my gentle assault on her neck.

She sighed contentedly as my hands moved to cup her breasts, fiddling with and pinching both nipples.

Her back arched as my mouth moved southward, kissing whatever bare skin I could get my lips on. I gently pushed down on her hips to get her to lay back flat, and she reluctantly surrendered.

“You’re beautiful, baby girl,” I murmured as I shimmied her panties down her hips, to see her in all her pure, naked beauty.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “God, you’re gorgeous,” I mumbled as I lowered my face to between her thighs.

Her breath was cut short as I pressed my tongue to her clit, moving it in small, slow circles. All I could hear were her short, quick breaths as I began to move my tongue faster, inserting a finger inside her heat as I continued to swirl my tongue around her swollen clit.

“Oh, God, Mark,” she breathed out, her back arching. “I—you—”

I flicked my tongue and curled my finger inside her, and she gasped as I felt her legs tighten.

“Oh, fuck,” she moaned as her legs started to shake. “I—shit!”

She continued to convulse for a couple more seconds before I withdrew both my tongue and my finger. I rubbed at her throbbing clit with my thumb for a few seconds as she wound down, her breathing heavy and erratic. 

**end of smut**

“Are we okay, now?” I asked, smirking despite myself.

She rolled her eyes as she pushed herself up on her elbows. “Yeah, but do me a favor?”

“I think I just did, but alright,” I teased, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

“Don’t just…walk out on me anymore…”

My chest constricted as I realized what I’d done. No amount of sexual favors could make that up to her. I sat back on my legs, keeping quiet, as she shimmied her panties back on without much effort.

“I won’t, I swear it,” I said quietly, and she shot me a small smile. 

“Thank you, Mark.”

“You know, really, I should be thanking you,” I mused, laying beside her to wrap her in my arms once her t-shirt was back on.

“Why?”

“For putting up with my bullshit,” I admitted. “I do these things constantly and you stay around anyway. It’s only been a month; any sensible girl would’ve left long before now.”

“Any girl who didn’t truly love you would’ve left long before now,” y/n corrected, leaning up for a sweet kiss.

“I love you, y/n,” I said quietly, and she smiled contentedly. “So, so much. More than anything, really.”

“I love you too, Mark, to the moon and back.” 

I hugged her tightly to me, silently vowing to myself that I’d never let her go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am WELL AWARE that this is late. I couldn't get this site to come up on my computer! It kept telling me it couldn't find the website. I had no connectivity problems, I just couldn't get this site to work on my computer. So, I'm sorry, I promise to have both chapters up on Friday and on Sunday ON TIME. Friday's might be an hour or so late, because I'm going prom dress shopping. But THEY WILL BE ON FRIDAY AND ON SUNDAY. 
> 
> I'm sorry again. 
> 
> Also, shoutout to my boyfriend for helping me come up with part of this chapter. I have the best boyfriend, supporting me n my Markiplier fanfiction. He's great. I love him. S/O to Chris, ur Wow loves you <3


	12. Dreaded Good-Byes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have to fly home. It's a sad day for everyone involved.

The last two days spent with Mark went by before I even had a fair amount of reaction time. All I could remember were hands, sheets, lips, and love. Although, we did end up going to the Museum of Contemporary Art as well as the cab company, where my cab driver was ever so pleased to have his three dollars returned. Plus, the twenty I gave him as an apology.

Mark and I stood at my gate, my carryon in his hand, my boarding ticket in mine. Iris had wanted to see me off, but she’d gotten a flat tire half-way to the airport. I’d understood, but I knew I’d miss her up until we moved back into our dorms.

“Do you know when we’ll be able to see each other next?” Mark asked, as I nervously watched the clock tick away the minutes until my flight number would be called.  


I racked through dates in my head as quickly as I could. “Unless you come see me sometime before I head back to school, then, realistically, not until like Thanksgiving.”

Mark groaned, putting his head in his hands. “Even if I come see you right before you head back to school, I’d then have to go, like, three months without seeing you.”

“Well, we can have visitors at the dorms whenever we want, and they can stay the night on weekends, so if you were really dedicated, you could come down on like a Friday afternoon and stay until Monday morning or something,” I suggested.

“Why do you have to be so damned far away?”

I chuckled. “I’ve lived in Gresham my whole life. I’m pretty sure you’ve moved a lot more than I have. So technically, you are the one who’s so damned far away.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “You win, as usual,” he said with a sigh. I grinned.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, our hands intertwined, Mark’s thumb gently stroking my own.

“Can you believe it?” Mark asked after a while. “A month ago, we barely knew each other; now I’m very highly tempted to return to Gresham with you.”

I hummed in response. “Sometimes I can’t believe it, other times it feels like I’ve known you forever.”

Mark nodded. “Not to sound pretentious, but I wouldn’t have been surprised had you said that, because I thought you might feel like you know me on more of a personal level since you’ve spent so long watching my videos. But honestly, I feel the same way, and the first-ever interaction of any kind I ever had with you was when I texted you on Instagram a month ago.”

I smiled. “That was totally pretentious. But it’s okay, because I know where you’re coming from.”

Mark playfully shoved my shoulder. “You know I wasn’t trying to sound pompous. Way to make me feel bad.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know I was joking, too.”

Mark feigned innocence, drawing a laugh from me. 

“FLIGHT 218, TO GRESHAM, IS NOW BOARDING.”

Mark and I looked at each other, the smile having faded from his face.

“I—I don’t want to go,” I admitted, my voice wavering.

“Baby, you have to,” he told me. “Your family misses you enough while you’re at school, you owe this to them.”

“I’ve only been gone ten days!” I insisted, tears filling my eyes. “There’s another flight to Gresham in two days, I can switch my flight!”

“FLIGHT 218, TO GRESHAM, OREGON, IS NOW BOARDING.”

Mark sighed, moving towards the gate with my carryon in his hand.

“Mark!” I called, speed-walking after him. He wouldn’t slow down, and it was all I could do to keep up with him.

“FLIGHT 218, TO GRESHAM, OREGON, IS NOW BOARDING. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING.”

Mark looked back at me wistfully, and I sighed, pulling my boarding pass out of my pocket. I handed it to the woman at the desk, and she smiled, opening the door for me to walk through.

I turned back to Mark, and he handed me my carryon bag. Tears filled my eyes as I hugged him to me tightly, and after pulling his sweatshirt hood up, he hugged me back. 

“I love you,” I murmured.

“I love you too,” he responded.

He angled my face up towards his and kissed me lovingly, his hands gripping my waist tightly. When we pulled apart, I backed up, and he stood there, hands in his pockets, until I gathered the strength to turn around and walk through the door, into the airplane, away from the love of my life.

I sat in my seat, trying to see if I could see inside the airport from my tiny window. Unfortunately, I couldn’t, and that pained me even more.

I pulled out my phone, setting it onto airplane mode and sticking my earbuds in. The plane took off not too long after, and I watched the airport become tinier and tinier until it was out of sight.

The serenity of being unplugged and in the clouds did little to soothe my heart. I already missed Mark, more than I missed Iris, which was probably a bad thing to say, but I was going to be living with Iris.

Tears flowed silently down my face as I watched the sky float by. The world below seemed so unimportant, so insignificant, so tiny.

The flight home seemed much shorter than the flight to LA, and before I knew it, I was in Allison’s arms, only lowkey crying.

“Honey, if he loves you, he’ll come see you before you go off to school, I’m sure of it,” she said, rubbing my back as I continued to pathetically sniffle.

“I know, I know,” I said, wiping at my eyes, “but that’s like, six weeks from now. And then, who knows how long I’ll have to go without him once school actually starts? Then what? What if he meets someone who actually lives close to him, what if they fall in love?” 

Allison looked at me concerningly, before raising a hand and smacking me in the face.

“What the hell!?” I cried, attracting attention from plane-boarders.

“Get ahold of yourself!! This is exactly what you did when you were still dating Aaron, and I am entirely convinced Mark is completely different! If you miss him so much, get off your ass, go home, and call him! If he loves you, he won’t mind.”

I nodded to myself. “I suppose you’re right.”

Allison rolled her eyes. “Honey, I am always right.”

I scoffed, a smile returning to my face. “Sure.”

“I am right ninety-seven percent of the time, and I can promise you nobody cares about the other four percent,” she said, standing up. 

“Wha—four?”

“It’s a joke, you dumbass. Stand up.”

So I did, and Allison took me to get my luggage, before we left the airport and got in her car.

I turned my phone on to find six new messages from Mark.

Mark: I hope you make it home safe. I love you.

Mark: Text me when you land? Please?

Mark: I miss you already… I tried to catch a glimpse of you on the plane, but I think you must’ve been hidden behind the wing or something.

Mark: It’s already been an hour without you… I know you’re on the plane, but my apartment feels empty and dead.

Mark: Sorry for blowing up your phone. 

Mark: I love you.

I smiled to myself. I shot him a quick text back, making sure he knew I’d made it home safe.

Me: yes, you can stop worrying, i made it home. i love you too.

My phone lit up, Mark sending in a barrage of texts.

Mark: Good, I’m glad you made it home safe.

Mark: Do you want to call when you’re actually at home, in your house? Or do you want to take a nap?

Me: maybe i’ll take a quick nap, i didn’t get any sleep in on the plane.

Me: missed you too much.

Mark: Baby, that’s adorable. But if you want to take a nap, feel free. I can live another couple hours without seeing your face. I promise I’ll be okay.

Me: alright, if you’re sure.

Mark: I am.

Me: i love you

Mark: I love you too, baby girl.

I set my phone aside, making a mental note to plug it in when I got home. When Allison finally dropped me off, I bid her a thankful goodbye before lugging all my stuff up to my bedroom.

Then, without a second thought, I dropped onto my bed, grateful to be back in more familiar surroundings, but missing my dark-haired boy more with each passing second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's about a half-hour late, but I've been in a terrible mood most of the day and I was trying to get all 2,500 words in (since 2,500 words per chapter is a personal goal of mine) but I wanted to end the chapter where it did and I didn't feel like forcing out 2,500 words and having it be a terrible chapter. It's about 1,400-1,450 words, I think. It's quite a bit shorter than usual but I'll try to make up for that in Sunday's chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for being understanding! Hope you enjoy chapter twelve. :)


	13. The One with the Publicity Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four weeks without Mark have dragged on for you, even though it's the height of your summer vacation. How are you going to deal?

The next four weeks dragged on. The sun beat down on us in Gresham, and my mother’s ice cream shop was packed more often than not. I was almost working more hours than my mother herself, and I could tell she was struggling.

At one point, I ordered her to go home, as she was pale and breathing heavily.

“But y/n, the shop—”

“I will call Allison and Leah, they can be here in fifteen minutes and we can run this until close. You go home and get some rest, you look terrible.”

Knowing she couldn’t win, my mother finally nodded in defeat, turning around to go gather her things and head home.

“You know how to close up?”

I nodded. “I know how to close the store. And with Allison and Leah helping we can get it done in under an hour. I will make sure the freezers are set at 28 degrees, I will empty the trash and sanitizing bins, and every dish will either be put away or left to dry. I will lock the door and set the alarm, and make sure the thermostat is at a heavenly seventy degrees.”

My mother smiled at me, pride clear in her eyes. “I’ve taught you so well,” she mumbled, putting her apron into her bag. “I’ll see you at seven?”

“And no later,” I said, returning her smile.

She sighed, hanging the keys to the shop on the hook in the office, and shouldered her purse, walking out the door and to her car.

I watched her drive away as four more kids piled into the shop, each of them counting change in their hands.

“Hey, guys,” I said cheerfully, plastering on a smile. “Give me five minutes to make a couple phone calls and I’ll be right out to help you.”

They all nodded absentmindedly, and I slipped into the office to call Allison and Leah.

Both of them expressed their concern for my mother, assuring me they’d be there in ten minutes or less. I popped back out to the main area to find the kids perusing the flavor options, of which we had 27.

“Alright, what can I get for you guys?”

The first, a boy who couldn’t have been more than thirteen, stepped forward and pointed to the tub of Superman ice cream. “Could I have two scoops of that in a waffle cone?”

I nodded, grabbing the scoop and grabbing his order for him.

The other three quickly gave their requests, and I handed them out before ambling over to the register to tally up the total.

“Alright, your total’s gonna be eight dollars and seventeen cents,” I announced, and three of them all looked at the brunette girl, who rolled her eyes and handed me a ten.

I counted out her change and wished them a good day, and they all walked out as Allison and Leah were making their way in.

“Hair up,” I reminded them, and they nodded, both of them throwing their locks into high buns.

Allison tied on her apron, and I helped Leah tie hers.

“We’ve been slammed every day this week,” I lamented. “I’m afraid my poor mother’s working herself to death.”

Allison nodded somberly. “We should take her out to dinner this evening, once we lock up.”

I lit up. “That’s a great idea!! We could pool our money and take all our parents out to eat!”

We all texted our parents in a flurry, and they were all appreciative and excited for our dinner out.

I glanced at the clock, it read 4:00 sharp. Only two more hours until we closed. I could do this, no problem.

Allison and Leah headed to the back to start on dishes, so we wouldn’t have as many to do when the store closed.

I busied myself with tidying up the display of vintage, miniature salt shakers my mother loved to collect when the bell on the door jingled, signaling that someone had entered the building.

“Hi, welcome to Mooney’s!” I said brightly, turning around.

I stopped short when I saw the customer.

“Do you guys have cotton candy ice cream?” Mark asked, his eyes scanning the menu. “That stuff is to die for.”

“Mark!!” I squealed, running around the counter to hug him tightly. “How did you get here? When did you get here? How did you know I was here? How did you know how to get here?”

Mark laughed at my onslaught of questions, and I could feel the rumbling in his chest against my cheek.

“I took a plane, I landed about an hour ago, you said you had to work this morning, I googled the address and drove the rental car here.”

“Oh my god,” I squealed again, burying my face into his chest. Allison and Leah came out to see what the commotion was all about, and both of them greeted Mark with enthusiastic smiles.

“Mark, this is Allison, my best friend, Allison, this is Mark. Leah, this is Mark, my boyfriend. Mark, this is Leah, one of my favorite co-workers.”

Leah smiled brightly at Mark as he shook both of their hands, his other arm still wrapped around my waist.

“What time do you guys close up shop?” he asked. “I’d like to take you out for dinner, y/n.”

I frowned a little. “Leah, Allison and I are all taking our parents out for dinner after we close up shop, we just cemented those plans,” I said, somewhat disappointed. “You’re welcome to join us, though.”

“Are you sure?” Mark asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t want to impose.”

“You wouldn’t,” Leah and I said in unison.

I looked at Leah in confusion before turning back to Mark. “This would be great! I can spend time with you and you can meet my parents, it’s a win-win!”

Mark shrugged, seemingly okay with the idea. “Alright, but I’m definitely taking you out tomorrow.”

I smiled. “Deal.”

In order to pass time, we put an apron on Mark and showed him the basics of serving ice cream. Customers trickled through at a steady pace, and with each cone Mark served, his skills started showing.

“See?” I said encouragingly as he served a non-lopsided cone. “You’re a natural!”

He smiled at me, his hair a little smashed underneath the hat he had to wear. “You really think so?”

“Hey, I dropped three cones on my first day, you’re already light-years ahead,” I joked as he handed a dish of chocolate ice cream to a little girl.

Finally, six o’ clock rolled around, and we began the cleanup. With four of us now, it took only thirty minutes, and we managed to lock up the shop for the night by 6:35 exactly.

“I think we should try and convince my mom to leave the shop closed for the weekend,” I mused as we drove to my house to pick all three sets of parents up.

“Or we could convince her to stay home, and we could run it all weekend,” Allison chimed in. “We did fine today.”

“Yes, but we’re insanely busy on weekends. And with how unusually busy we’ve been all week, I dread even attempting to brave the onslaught of behemoths demanding their frozen treats.”

Leah laughed. “We’re trained specifically for busy weeks,” she quipped. “What we don’t know how to handle is slow days.”

I chuckled. “That’s true. We’ll see what my mom says, alright?”

Allison and Leah voiced their agreements, and I looked over at Mark, who was engrossed in the game on his phone. I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see Leah’s eyes trained on Mark, and I felt the same flash of jealousy I’d encountered when I’d thought Mark and Iris were becoming involved.

Soon enough, we reached my house, and we piled out of my car to head inside.

I glanced behind me to see Leah talking to Mark, her arms wrapped around herself as she listened intently to whatever he was saying. 

We got inside, and I subtly made my way over to Mark, intertwining my fingers with his.

My parents seemed confused at his presence, but they didn’t say anything as we all piled into my parents’ ice cream truck-made passenger van and headed for the restaurant.

“This is such a nice thing for you guys to do,” Leah’s mom gushed. “I haven’t been out to dinner in ages.”

Leah smiled at her mom, and her mom scooted closer to her, which, unfortunately, pressed Leah into Mark’s other side.

I squeezed his hand, and he looked over and smiled at me, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. I sighed, wishing the ride would just be over.

We finally made it to Christo’s, Gresham’s version of Cracker Barrel. All ten of us ambled into the restaurant, and after having to wait almost fifteen minutes, we were politely seated.

I was between Mark and Leah, something for which I was grateful. I opened my menu and perused the options, and eventually our waiter arrived.

“Hi, everyone, my name’s Matthew, I’ll be your server tonight,” the older boy informed us. “Are we all on one check tonight, or are we separating?”

Allison took the liberty of explaining everyone. “I’ve got these two and myself, Leah has her parents and herself, and y/n has herself, her parents, and Mark.”

I nodded, but Mark piped up, “I’ve got myself.”

“You’re taking me out to dinner tomorrow night, I’m paying tonight,” I stated firmly, and he held his hands up in mock surrender.

“Alright, so three checks?” 

Everyone voiced their agreement, and we all placed our drink orders.

After a couple minutes of mindless chatter, I excused myself to the restroom. When I returned, Leah had scooted over, taking my seat next to Mark. She’d even moved our things, so it looked like she’d been sitting there the whole time.

“Leah, you took my seat,” I said rather pointedly.

She glared at me, intentionally scooting her chair closer to Mark.

My blood boiled, but Leah’s mom spoke up just then. “Honey, that is rather rude, she is the one who was sitting there.”

Leah huffed, throwing herself back in her own seat like a child. 

“No offense, Leah, but I would rather sit next to my girlfriend,” Mark interjected, sliding an arm around my shoulders as I sat down.

I smiled, but my parents spoke up just then.

“How did you meet this Mark character?” my mother asked, leaning over the table to speak to me more directly.

Mark and I glanced at each other, and I answered. “He’s a big YouTuber, and he followed me on Instagram and we started talking.”

“And the rest is history,” Mark said with a chuckle.

“YouTube,” my father mused. “Does that bring in a lot of money?”

“Dad,” I groaned. “That’s so rude.”

“No, that’s alright, I know YouTube isn’t as orthodox for some people,” Mark said. “But yes, I make more than enough money to support myself, as well as, hopefully, someday a family.”

He said those last words while looking at me, and I smiled at him, feeling a faint blush tinge my cheeks.

“What is it you do on YouTube?” my father asked, unfolding his arms. 

“Ah, mainly I play games,” Mark said with a shrug. “Sometimes I do video blogs and challenge videos, but it’s mainly gaming.”

“Interesting,” came my dad’s answer. He leaned back in his chair. “Now, you realize this is my little girl you’re with.”

“I understand,” Mark acknowledged.

“And you know that she’s an absolute princess,” my father continued.

“Yes, sir,” Mark said, a hint of a smile on his face.

“Then you’ll understand that you cannot hurt her in any way, shape, manner, or form, because if you do, I will make sure you never have any form of contact with her again,” my dad warned, his eyes firm.

Mark swallowed, but his voice never wavered. “Yes, sir.”

My father leaned back in his chair again, finally smiling. “I think you and I will get along well. What’s your favorite football team?”

Mark let out a breath, and he considered his options. “I like the Miami Dolphins, personally. One team I can’t stand is the New England Patriots.”

“You know, I have not met a single soul who claims to be a Patriots fan,” my father commented, a glint in his eye. “It’s a wonder they’re even still a team.”

“I have to agree with you, absolutely,” Mark said, putting his elbows on the table as he continued the conversation. 

Finally, our food came, and the lighthearted conversations continued across the table.

One person who stayed quieter was Leah, picking at her food for most of the meal. She excused herself to the bathroom at one point, and when she returned, she gathered her things, claiming to have received a phone call from a friend who needed her assistance. She handed her card to her dumbfounded parents and left without another word.

Her parents seemed highly embarrassed, but they played it off well.

The conversations eventually drew to a close as the sun began to set outside the restaurant. We all tipped Matthew quite highly, Leah’s parents highest of all, since it was coming off of their daughter’s card. We all got back in the van, and it was slightly roomier without the extra person. 

When we got back to my house, the parents bid each other goodnight, and I drove Allison and Mark back to the ice cream shop to get their respective cars.

“What was Leah’s issue?” Allison said. “I’ve never seen her act like that.”

“She likes Mark,” I said bluntly, flipping on my turn signal as I banked to the right.

“Really? Can you tell?”

“Allison, she tried to make it look like she’d been between me and Mark the whole time when I came back from the bathroom.”

“Oh, right! Her mom had to call her out on it!” Allison said with a laugh. “That was priceless. What’re we gonna do tomorrow when she comes in for work?”

I shrugged. “Act like nothing happened?”

“Am I going to be there again?” Mark asked. “Because if so, it may be hard to act like nothing happened if she tries throwing herself at me.”

“If she throws herself at you, I’ll have reason to write her up for acting inappropriately with either a customer or a co-worker, whichever one you want to be tomorrow,” I responded without much emotion.

“Perhaps both?” he said. “I’d love to do a vlog of me being an ice-cream server.”

“As long as my mom isn’t there, go for it,” I said with a shrug.

“Does your mom not want her shop recorded?”

“No, she doesn’t want herself recorded,” I said with a laugh.

“If it’s alright, can I introduce you as my friend?” Mark asked. 

“Your…friend,” I said slowly, trying the word on for size as I pulled into the shop parking lot.

“I know you’re much more than that,” Mark hurried out, “but I’m not ready to go public just yet.”

Allison gathered her things, thanking me for the ride as she quickly got out of my car.

“Yeah, I get it,” I breathed out. “It’s whatever.”

Mark looked hurt, but he got out of the car and got into his rental anyway. I put my car into reverse and peeled out of the parking lot, needing more time to myself so I could think.

Without thinking about it, I turned onto an old back road I hadn’t been on in months, its winding path taking me down to a secret pond that probably wasn’t actually a secret that I’d found when I was just twelve years old.

I parked in the dry grass before the wetlands began, and I pulled my shoes off and rolled up my pant legs as I waded into the calming water.

I made my way over to a large rock sitting in the middle of a ton of lily pads, and I sat on it, looking down at the expanding ripples my movement had made in the water.

I sighed to myself, contemplating everything Mark and I had talked about. I could understand him not wanting to go public, but we’d been together almost two months. If now wasn’t a good time, when would it be?

I spent what felt like forever on that rock, so long, in fact, that when I got up my legs were almost asleep. I waded back to the shore, just throwing my shoes in my car and climbing in it with damp feet.

I checked my phone before driving off, finding several text messages from Mark and my parents.

I texted my parents telling them I’d simply taken the long way home, claiming I’d just gone to the library and that I’d be home shortly.

Once I got home, I walked inside and was instantly crushed in a hug from Mark.

“What the hell?” I said loudly, even though my voice was muffled by Mark’s shirt.

“I was so worried about you,” Mark almost whined, holding me at arms-length to give me a once-over. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I insisted, pulling away. “I just took the long way home. I needed to think.”

Mark sighed. “I knew springing that on you wouldn’t be a good idea, but I couldn’t think of a better way to do it.”

“Why can’t we go public?” I asked, knowing how pathetic I sounded. “I know you’re worried about reactions, but I love you, you know? I want the world to know you’re off the market and loved incredibly deeply.”

Mark let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know, but y/n, the amount of hate you would get from my fanbase would be unbelievable. I don’t want you to deal with that. I also don’t want you to get fed up with dealing with that…”

I sighed, wrapping my arms around him. “I love you, you know that? That means putting up with hate. Besides, if it gets too bad, I can leave social media. It is not that big of a deal.”

Mark smiled down at me. “You are the best thing in my life, y/n.”

I stood up on my tip-toes to kiss him. “And you are the best thing in mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD MY CHAPTERS WERE SAVING AS DRAFTS AND NOT ACTUALLY POSTING I AM SO SORRY. I WAS SO PROUD OF MYSELF FOR ACTUALLY KEEPING WITH MY POSTING SCHEDULE AND THEY AREN'T EVEN ACTUALLY UPLOADING. HECK.
> 
> Anyway, again, I'm really sorry. I hope the fact that this chapter has over 3,000 words makes up for it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I promise to double-check this Friday to make sure chapters are actually posting. Thanks for putting up with me XD


	14. A Date to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark takes you on a lovely date, but the server tries to flirt with you.

After much, much bargaining, we managed to convince my mother to keep the shop closed for the weekend. We wrote on a big poster board, “CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY. TAKING A MUCH NEEDED, REST-FILLED WEEKEND. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.”

After taping that up in the front window and doing some basic tidying up and safe-counting, Mark and I returned to my home and set up his computer in my bedroom.

“We’re gonna have to play some basic iPad games today,” Mark commented to himself, tapping on the large electronic screen. “I’ve been meaning to show off the iPad’s Minecraft for a while. And there’s also Mario Run, that game’s lit. Oh, and I’ve gotta play Dumb Ways to Die. Felix did that just a couple months ago, that game looks like so much fun.”

I smiled. “Any vlogging today?”

Mark shrugged. “Is there anything super fun to do in Gresham, Oregon?”

I shoved him slightly. “There’s plenty of things to do. Besides, if you stay until Monday, I’m going to make my mother take an extra day off, so you can do your ice-cream-server vlog.”

Mark beamed. “I still can’t wait to do that.”

“Other than that, there isn’t too much we can do, unless you wanted to turn a trip to Walmart or something into a big adventure.”

Mark’s eyes lit up. “What if we bought a bunch of Mentos and Diet Coke and set up some kind of chain reaction Mentos explosion?”

I winced slightly. “Where, exactly, would we do this? My mother would not be thrilled about Diet Coke all over her backyard.”

“We’ll put down a tarp,” Mark said, as if it should’ve been obvious. “We’ll even put down two tarps, if that would make her more comfortable. Or is there, like, some deserted public pool we could use?”

“We do have the pool at the other side of town that closed down a couple years ago,” I said with a snap of my fingers. “They closed down and moved farther inward, closer to downtown and more accessible to people. We could go to the old location, they still do maintenance in case they ever decide to reopen, so it shouldn’t be too gross.”

Mark looked almost giddy. “Let’s do it!!”

“How much Diet Coke are we talking, exactly?” I asked, almost scared to hear his answer.

“I’m thinking like, fifteen of the big bottles?” Mark said, almost in question form. “Then we can get fifteen rolls of Mentos, and it’ll be like a challenge to kind of run by and dump Mentos into the Diet Coke as quickly as we can.”

“I’m definitely wearing old clothes for this,” I remarked, a hint of a smile on my face.

“You’re gonna do it with me?” Mark asked.

My smile faltered, looking up at him. “U-unless you don’t want me to,” I stuttered out, my stomach beginning to clench.

“No, no!” Mark hurried out. “I was just surprised that you wanted to, I assumed you were gonna stay as far away as you could.”

“Mark, you’re my boyfriend, I’m gonna want to do anything I can with you.”

Mark smiled, leaning over to kiss my forehead. “That’s why tomorrow’s Diet Coke video will be the perfect platform to introduce you as my girlfriend on.”

I felt myself light up. “We’re gonna go public?”

“Once you fell asleep after last night’s…activities…I did a lot of thinking about what you said. If I’m too squeamish to go public with you now, I’m only going to get worse about it the longer we’re together. I can’t force you to stay my secret girlfriend forever. That’s not fair to me, and it’s more unfair, I think, to you. So, what, the fanbase will freak out, some people will most likely be jealous and angry, but I love you, they can either deal with that or unsubscribe.”

I felt my heart swell with love as I smiled up at Mark, even though he’d turned to set up his recording camera. 

“I love you,” I told him as he sat back in my chair, his camera set to start. 

“I love you too, baby girl,” he said with a smile, his eyes holding nothing but love.

I sat to the side as I watched him record, his demeanor not changing one bit. He ended up playing Dumb Ways to Die for almost an entire half hour, before stopping that and recording a video where he read comments for about an hour.

I ended up scrolling through Instagram as he continued on, noticing how my follower request count was racking up. I’d confirmed almost thirty people the day before, and now I had over two hundred new follower requests.

I started reading through the comments on a couple of my recent posts, and besides my friends all hyping up my selfies, the unfamiliar newcomers were divided, some of them hoping I was Markiplier’s new girlfriend, and the others suspicious that I was, in fact, Markiplier’s girlfriend.

I turned off the option to receive messages from people I didn’t follow back and deleted all of the message requests I had already gotten. Most of them were demanding to know who I was and why Mark had followed me, and it wasn’t my place to give up Mark’s secret. Especially since he’d already decided to do it in a video scheduled to be recorded and released within forty-eight hours.

Once he was finished recording, Mark spent another hour and a half editing and rendering. By the time he was finished, it was almost seven, and he decided it was a perfect time to start getting ready for dinner.

“I made reservations for eight, we’ll be right on time,” he remarked. “Go get dressed, it’s a bit of an upscale place.”

“Where did you get reservations?” I asked warily.

“The Bistro,” Mark replied proudly, puffing up his chest.

“How??” I asked, astounded. “My parents had to make reservations three months out when they went to eat there for their anniversary!”

“Well, I called and asked if there were any open spots, and they said no initially, but they called me yesterday while you were still out and said there had been a cancellation, and I said yes, of course I would take that person’s spot, so you and I are going to eat at the Bistro tonight.”

I couldn’t help it, I threw my arms around Mark and kissed him soundly. “You are the world’s best boyfriend,” I said with a smile.

“Go get dressed, you’re gonna make me mushy,” Mark said teasingly, swatting my butt as I turned round to find something presentable in my closet.

“Do you have any dress clothes?” I asked absentmindedly as I pulled a striking royal-blue dress from my closet. I’d worn it to my younger cousin’s sweet 16 that spring, and I was hoping it still fit, as I loved it to death.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I knew I wanted to take you someplace fancy, so I brought clothes in order to dress to impress.”

I turned around, the dress in my hand, to find Mark all decked out in a suit and tie. His hair was a mess, but the bottle of gel in his hand implied he intended to fix it.

“Oh my God, you look incredible,” I breathed, drinking in the sight of him.

“Thanks, baby. Now go put your dress on and stop taking my favorite suit off with your eyes.”

I rolled my eyes at Mark’s comment and stepped into the bathroom to put the dress on.

It seemed to fit even better than it had at Lacey’s sweet 16, and I loved the way I looked.

I pulled out my curling iron, curling my hair just so it fell in big ringlets on my shoulders. I put on some mascara and used just enough lip tint to make my lips shinier and just a tad pinker, and I spritzed my favorite cinnamon apple perfume on myself before stepping out to see Mark’s reaction.

He’d gelled his hair up in little spikes, making himself even more attractive than before. I stopped when I saw him, and his eyes widened when he saw me.

“Oh, my God,” he mumbled, and it made my heart leap.

“You look gorgeous,” he said louder, and I smiled as he came closer. He put his hands on my waist and gazed at me, and I couldn’t help but blush, just a little.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. “I love you, y/n.”

“I love you, Mark,” I whispered back, leaning up for a kiss.

We managed to leave by 7:45, giving us just enough time to barely make our reservations.

Thankfully, they didn’t fake not finding his name, and we were seated on the upper floor, the view over a very cute little pond. I could see swans making their way through the crystal-clear water, and I was instantly in love.

“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” I asked wistfully, resting my chin in my hand.

“Yes, you are,” Mark replied, and I looked at him to see him smirking to himself as he somewhat pretended to peruse the menu.

I rolled my eyes to myself and picked up my own menu, attempting to find something that would taste good and still leave Mark some money to his name.

My eyes landed upon a dish I vaguely recognized as one my mother had highly praised months before when she and my father had gone out for their anniversary date.

Our waiter came over just then, introducing himself as Jordan. Mark ordered one of their best wines, but I decided to stick with a good old Sprite. Especially if Mark ended up drinking a little too much, I would be needed to handle the keys.

“You don’t want to drink?” Mark asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Under any other circumstances, I might, but I need to be sober in case you’re uncomfortable with driving, and besides, I’m not twenty-one yet.”

Mark smacked his forehead. “I’m so sorry, I forgot. Do you want me to order something else?”

“No, of course not, you can drink in front of me. Just, you know, in moderation. Especially since we’re at the Bistro,” I said with a chuckle.

Mark nodded, popping open the wine bottle. “This one’s supposed to be 1984,” he mused, pouring the dark burgundy liquid into his glass. “Great year for wine makers.”

I rolled my eyes. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I accused, a smile perking up the corners of my mouth.

“I have no idea what I’m talking about,” Mark agreed with a laugh. “I should probably stop before I embarrass myself.”

“I feel like it’s a little late for that,” I teased, and Mark playfully glared at me.

Our food arrived soon enough, and I made a mental note to thank my mother for praising the dish so highly, as it was absolutely exquisite.  
Mark and I were absorbed in our food almost the entire time, barely speaking a word to each other. We gave our earnest approval when the server came by and asked how we were doing, but otherwise we kept our faces in our plates, so to speak.

Our meal ended without a hitch, as Mark and I shared a plate of tiramisu and clashed forks in order to be the person who got the last bite.

Our waiter arrived with the bill, and even though Mark was in no way letting me pay, I still looked at it, just to see how much Mark was willing to spend on me.

The first thing that caught my eye was the indent on the paper, indicating there was writing on the other side. I flipped it over, but my nonchalant mood slightly soured at the sight of what was written.

Anytime you want to try out a real man, you know where to find me, beautiful.  
\- Jordan

Underneath his name was scribbled his phone number, and I flipped it back over in an attempt to hide it from Mark, who was pulling his card from his wallet.

He barely glanced at the bill, and then my stomach turned when he flipped it over and read the writing on the back. 

His mouth tightened into a snarl, and he handed the bill to the waiter without a word.

“Mark, please, you know I’m not going to call him.”

Mark chuckled darkly. “I know. I’m just trying to figure out a way to let him know.”

I reached over and squeezed his hand in an attempt to calm him down. “I love you,” I murmured.

“I love you too,” he replied flippantly. He pretended to be looking at his phone when Jordan came back, and I pretended not to notice the wink Jordan threw my way. When I ignored him, he reached out and touched my shoulder, and that’s when Mark lost it.

“Do you think you can just flirt with her right in front of me without me noticing?” he yelled, startling quite a few patrons, including myself.   
I grabbed Mark’s wrist in a frantic attempt to calm him down, but he just shook himself loose. 

“I’m serious!” Mark cried, looking around at everybody who was quite clearly staring at him. “I love this girl more than anything in my life, and I’ve tried so hard to be the best I can be for her. We’ve been through so much, and she means so much, I just get so angry when someone tries to blatantly take her right out from under my nose.”

Jordan was, by this time, a very deep shade of red. He apologized profusely before slinking away, and Mark sighed as he slipped an arm around my waist.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “Let’s get out of here.”

I followed closely behind him as we left the restaurant, and a well-dressed man came running after us, shouting, “Mr. Fischbach!”  
Mark stopped and turned around, and we let the man catch up to us.

“Mr. Fischbach, I’m the manager here at the Bistro, and I just wanted to apologize for Mr. Pollock’s behavior. It was entirely out of line for him to attempt to take your lady’s attentions. I do hope this hasn’t tainted your view of our restaurant.”

Mark smiled as well as he could. “Your food was delicious, sir. The only thing my experience has tainted is my view of Jordan.”

“Of course, Mr. Fischbach, he will be dutifully reprimanded.”

Mark smiled more widely this time. “I shouldn’t be happy about that, but I am,” he said, his eyes sparkling.

“Rest assured, next time you return your meal will be completely on the house,” the manager informed us. “As an apology from both Mr. Pollock and the Bistro.”

“Well, thank you,” Mark said earnestly, holding his hand out for a handshake. “I don’t live around here, I’m only here to visit my lovely girl, but if I come back I’ll definitely bring her back here.”

“Wonderful,” the manager said with a smile, his bushy mustache twitching upwards. “Again, we’re very sorry, and we hope you have a lovely rest of your evening.”

Mark pretended to tip his hat as we walked towards the rental car, and the manager smiled and went back into the building.

“Do you think we should head straight for the store now, for all that Diet Coke and those Mentos?”

“In these clothes?” I said incredulously, looking down at my dress.

“Why not?” Mark asked with a laugh. “We’ll be the only ones in the whole Wal-Mart looking like that.”

I looked down at my dress again, stifling a laugh. “After you, Fischbach.”

And when he started the car, we were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little early today, but I'm leaving at 4:30 my time for a youth retreat that I'll be attending all weekend. The one on Sunday might be early too. I might even post it on Saturday just to get it out of the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for 1,000 hits!!!!!


	15. The One Right After the Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mark travel to Wal-Mart to get the things you need for your video, then return home. What transpires as a result of being home alone? Only time will tell...
> 
> *explicit sexual content*

Our trip to Wal-Mart was full of laughter, stares, and giggles. Pointed fingers and hushed whispers did nothing to faze us as we purchased thirty liters of Diet Coke and what had to be upwards of four pounds of Mentos. Mark and I struggled to get everything in the car, as we were laughing so hard things were slipping.

“What an adventure, huh?” Mark breathed as we slid into the front seat once more.

“Best I’ve had in a while,” I said with a bright smile. “You’re such a dork sometimes.”

“True, but I am _your _dork, princess,” Mark said with a smirk as he turned on the car.__

____

We pulled out of the parking lot, neither of us saying anything, but the goofy smiles plastered on our faces never wavering. 

____

“Here,” Mark said, pulling his camera out of his bag. “Turn this on and start recording me. I want this to be the start of the vlog.”

____

I obliged, giving Mark a hand gesture to let him know we were rolling.

____

“Hello, everybody!” he said jovially, even though he kept his eyes on the road. “My name is Markiplier, and today we’re going to be doing something a little different for this vlog. My very, very special friend and assistant, whom you will see shortly, inspired me to do a giant Diet Coke and Mentos reaction video. Obviously, we know how Diet Coke and Mentos work together, but this is going to be on a much larger scale. You see, my assistant, the lovely y/n, and I, have purchased thirty liters of Diet Coke, and probably a million Mentos. We’re putting them into an abandoned public pool on the outskirts of y/n’s hometown, and we’re going to see how it goes.”

____

Mark paused for a moment, then said, “Shut it off, I’m done.”

____

I stopped the recording and turned off the camera before placing it back in Mark’s bag. “Your special friend and assistant?” I questioned, arching one eyebrow, even though a knowing smile was on my face.

____

“Once we’ve completed the whole challenge and we’re both covered in Diet Coke, I’ll pull you close and tell the camera you’re my girlfriend. It’ll be easy. Then I’ll kiss you or something, and we can both say goodbye as I end the video. It’ll be super cute.”

____

I twisted the end of my hair between my fingers. “What if they hate me?”

____

Mark sighed. “Not everybody will be happy, I won’t sugarcoat it. But the majority will love you, I promise. They’ll just be happy that I’m happy. Trust me. You’ll see ‘y/n-Iplier” hashtags and edits trending in no time.”

____

I smiled slightly to myself at that thought. Someone could make a video edit of recordings of Mark and me just because they thought we were that cute together. I couldn’t begin to imagine how warm that would make my heart.

____

We pulled back into my house, and only barely managed to get all of the Diet Coke into my room in one haul. Mark insisted on bringing all of the Mentos up by himself, and I laughed when the bag ripped, and dozens of rolls of Mentos tumbled down the stairs.

____

“Fuck,” Mark swore as he handed me the un-ripped bag and went about gathering all the fallen rolls. “They sure are fast sons of bitches.”

____

I laughed again, watching him attempt to hold what had to be thirty rolls of Mentos in one hand. It didn’t work, to say the least.

____

Finally, when everything was stashed in my closet to be used the next day, Mark looked over at me, his eyes slightly darker.

____

“Your parents aren’t home, are they?” he asked, his voice low.

____

I shook my head. No doubt my father was helping my mother count and recount money at the shop, I knew their audit was coming through in the next few days. They’d be there until 2 AM, or until I or one of my siblings called them in a panic because they fell asleep securing the safes. 

____

“Where are your brothers?” Mark asked, taking a look outside my room.

____

“Mitch is at his girlfriend’s place, and Leo moved out months ago,” I said casually, even though I knew where Mark’s mind had gone.

____

“How old are they? Aren’t you the oldest?”

____

I chuckled. “No, I’m the youngest. Mitch is twenty-three, and Leo’s twenty-five. I only just turned twenty like four months ago.”

____

Mark nodded absentmindedly. “So, you and I are the only ones here?”

____

“As luck would have it,” I mused, watching his changing facial expressions.

____

“Lovely,” Mark said with a slightly dark chuckle, moving towards me and placing his hands on either side of my face.

____

“We’re going to do some things your parents would probably frown upon,” he mumbled before kissing me rather aggressively.

____

***smut begins here***

____

I giggled into the kiss, and his tongue made its way into my mouth, prancing around with my own tongue as my hands threaded into his hair.

____

His hands reached behind me, pulling me into him and fumbling with my dress zipper at the same time. I pulled away slightly, just long enough to help him unzip my dress, and soon enough it was pooled at my feet, and I used my toes to loosely toss it into a corner away from my body.

____

“You’re so fucking perfect,” Mark breathed at the sight of my barely-clad body. My bra and panties were the only things I still had on, and I was getting impatient that Mark still hadn’t shed any of his clothing.

____

I reached out and began unbuttoning Mark’s dress shirt, and Mark nuzzled in to kiss me again. He placed his hands on my face as he had before, and kissed me roughly, his lips pressing into mine with definite force.

____

I pulled away again with a giggle. “You’re going to need to stop that,” I remarked, “or I’ll never be able to get your clothes off.”

____

“Oh, so you want mine off too?” Mark said with a smirk. “Well, if that’s what the lady wants…” he trailed off as he unbuckled his belt. I didn’t know what it was, but the sight of him undoing his belt was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen.

____

Once he was down to just his briefs, I smirked when he pulled me in for another kiss, even rougher than the first. 

____

My fingers danced along the waistband of his briefs, and his breath intake became short and heavy.

____

“Y/N, don’t tease,” he begged, his voice almost as strained as his length was against the fabric of his underwear.

____

I giggled, settling down on my knees, Mark pulling my hair back in a fist.

____

I pulled his briefs down, letting his erection out along with it. I smiled innocently up at Mark before taking him into my mouth with no warning.

____

“Fuck!” Mark said loudly, his hips jerking as he tried to keep still.

____

I hummed as I took him in farther still, willing my gag reflex to not kick in. I barely made it to the back of my throat before I had to pull back, but Mark clearly didn’t seem to mind.

____

I took him back in, bobbing my head up and down what I could handle, and using my hand to take care of what I couldn’t. 

____

He groaned above me, his hips jerking involuntarily once more.

____

“Y/N…unless you want it d-down your throat, you’re gonna…wanna stop,” he breathed out after another minute, his words jerky.”

____

I pulled him out of my mouth, smiling up at him through my eyelashes, and he groaned, pulling his wallet out of his pants and taking a single condom out. 

____

“How old is that thing?” I teased.

____

Mark glared at me, playfully. “I bought new ones just for my trip, thank you,” he said as he ripped it open and rolled it on. “Lay back on the bed, babygirl.”

____

I did as I was told, and he leaned over me, rubbing his fingers over my heat a few times to make sure I was properly lubricated.

____

“You’re sure you don’t want me to…?” he trailed off, gesturing at my spread legs.

____

“It actually makes it harder for me to finish if you do that first,” I admitted. “I prefer that by itself to that as foreplay.”

____

Mark nodded, pulling my leg up and putting one over his shoulder.

____

He slid in effortlessly, and I let out a breath at the feeling of him filling me up. I didn’t think I’d ever truly get used to that.

____

He pulled out and eased back in slowly, and I whimpered as my fists curled around my bedsheets. “Faster, please…”

____

He smirked at me, and even through the dim lighting in my room, I could see it was a devilish smirk. His slow, torturing pace continued, and the fire in my abdomen grew at a painfully slow rate.

____

“Faster, dammit!” I whined, immediately blushing at the demanding tone of my voice.

____

“Somebody likes it rough,” Mark said, smacking the inside of my thigh a little. I groaned as he picked up the pace slightly, and he let out a breath as he quickened up even more.

____

“Goddammit, y/n, you’re so wet,” he moaned, and I swiveled my hips as he thrusted quickly. He gasped at the motion, and I stopped it quickly, worried I’d done something wrong.

____

“No, no, that felt really fucking good,” Mark spat out as he sped up once more, his erection sliding in and out of me at a deliciously high speed.

____

I did it again, and he moaned again, a string of curse words flowing out of his mouth.

____

“Oh, fuck, oh, fuck,” he said, his voice strained. “I’m almost there, almost there…”

____

I finished before he did, the fire in my stomach exploding, white dots blinking their way through my vision as Mark continued to pound into me.

____

“Shit!” he yelled as his climax followed, and I trembled as he pulled out of me, the condom wet as a result of both of us.

____

“I love you so fucking much,” he mumbled as he pulled off the used condom, wrapping it in a tissue before throwing it away.

____

“I love you too,” I said, my eyes heavy with sleep.

____

“We should put some clothes on, so we’re at least sleeping covered up when your parents return,” Mark noted, and I nodded, my eyes closed as I sat up in bed.

____

“Here, baby,” Mark said, nudging me so I would open my eyes. He was holding out one of his t-shirts and the panties I’d been wearing before, and I happily accepted both. Once we were dressed enough to satisfy my parents, we both snuggled down into my bed, the fluffy comforter a warm welcome to my satisfied, sleepy body. 

____

“Tomorrow, everyone will know you’re the only girl I’ll ever fuck again,” Mark muttered, a smile in his voice.

____

“If you say it that way, I’ll be the only girl you’ll _never _fuck again,” I warned sleepily, my consciousness slipping away.__

____

__“I won’t do it that way, I promise,” I heard Mark say. “I love you.”_ _

____

__“I love you too,” I assured him as my last moments of wakefulness were spent being gathered into Mark’s arms as we both drifted off to sleep._ _

____

__***end of smut***_ _

____

__We were both painfully awakened by my mother yelling at the top of her lungs._ _

____

__I rolled over, my eyes stinging from lack of sleep, and I noticed the clock read 4:48 AM._ _

____

__Wondering what could possibly have had her so worked up before 5 in the morning, I whispered to Mark to stay in bed as I slipped on some pajama pants and trekked out into the hallway._ _

____

__Her face was red with anger, and I gave her a confused look, and her eyes softened only slightly when she saw me._ _

____

__“I’m sorry to have woken you up,” she said, too formally for my taste. “But your dog has just shit on the brand-new carpet on the landing.”_ _

____

__“Bailey!” I shouted, and my little dog hung his head, his tail between his legs. “I let you out as soon as I got home last night! You know better!”_ _

____

__My mother shooed Bailey off into Mitchell’s old room, and Bailey went without so much as a whine. I cleaned it up, much to my chagrined mother’s approval, and settled back into bed roughly ten minutes later._ _

____

__“Everything okay?” Mark asked, very obviously still bogged down with sleep._ _

____

__“Yes, everything’s fine,” I said with a yawn. “I want to go back to sleep.”_ _

____

__The next time my eyes opened, it was 11:24, and the sun was shining brightly into my bedroom. I rolled over to see Mark just beginning to awaken as well, and I smiled at him as his eyes opened enough to see me._ _

____

__“Morning, beautiful,” he commented, a goofy smile on his face._ _

____

__“Good morning, cliché,” I said playfully, and Mark only rolled his eyes._ _

____

__“Are you ready to go public?” he asked, even though he knew the answer._ _

____

__“I’ve been ready for the world to know you were mine since you first asked me to be yours,” I replied, wrapping him as best as I could in my arms._ _

____

__“Alright, then, let’s get started!” Mark said decidedly, hopping out of bed as if he was always this ready to start the day._ _

____

__As Mark got into the shower, I busied myself with picking up our clothes from the night before. They had been strewn carelessly across the floor, and had my mother had reason to peek inside my bedroom, she would’ve known exactly what had transpired to cause them to be so mindlessly scattered about._ _

____

__I threw a few things into my wastebasket to cover up the unusually large wad of tissues, and I straightened up my desk and hung Mark’s suit back upon the hanger he’d pulled it off of._ _

____

__Mark emerged from the bathroom a short while later, his hair wet and looking impossibly sexy. I, however, knew better than to attempt a round two with my mother still in the house and still pissed at Bailey, so I simply gave him a short kiss and headed for my own shower._ _

____

__The bastard had taken most of the hot water, so I only received five minutes of a good temperature before rushing through the rest of my shower once the water had turned cold. I dried my hair quickly and rejoined him in my bedroom, throwing on an old camp t-shirt, one that I wouldn’t mind losing to Diet Coke stains, but one I still looked quite nice in. I donned a pair of frayed white shorts and a pair of sandals, and with some tousling to my hair, I was good to go._ _

____

__“You know, for being ready to get absolutely soaked in Diet Coke, you look damn good,” Mark said, resting a hand on my backside as he kissed me roughly._ _

____

__“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I teased, running a finger down his chest._ _

____

__“We’d better go before I get too tempted,” Mark said, moving his hand to grip my own. “Can’t let those Diet Cokes go bad.”_ _

____

__I giggled as we transferred both the Diet Coke and the Mentos back into Mark’s rental car, laying down the tarp in case any of them should leak._ _

____

__“Are you sure you’re ready?” Mark asked one last time as he started the car._ _

____

__“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with a smile._ _

____

__He took my answer in strides, and before I knew it, we’d made it to the pool._ _

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm early again! I've been writing late into the night several nights this week, so I'll definitely have a chapter ready on Sunday. I'm so sorry I've been slacking so badly on Sundays. I just usually have church, and then I nap in the afternoons and completely space it. But this time it'll be better, I swear, I already have a chapter almost done. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one!! Hopefully it's less of a filler chapter :/
> 
> See you on Sunday!!!


	16. #Girliplier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mark make the video announcing your relationship! But what unravels after that?

(Mark’s POV)

We made it to the pool with no Coke-related mishaps, which was lucky for both of us. I climbed into the pool using the ladder, which was shallower than I had expected. Y/N lowered the tarp, and I spread it over the floor of the pool. She leaned over the edge to hand me bottle after bottle of Diet Coke, which I carefully opened and lined up along the tarp. Then, I set up my camera, connected my wired microphone, and started recording.

“See, guys, this is where it’s at,” I said to the camera. “We have thirty bottles of Diet Coke lined up here, and my lovely assistant, y/n, is about to hand me a whole bunch of Mentos.”

She smiled at me, and I smiled back, knowing my smile was directed off-camera. I slowly took each roll from her, and finally, we had all sixty rolls, two to each bottle. 

“So, what I’m gonna do, is I’m going to unroll half of these, and y/n’s going to unroll the other half. We’re going to stuff two rolls in each bottle as quickly as we can and see how big of a mess this makes.”

Y/N shrieked as she slipped into the empty pool, her bare feet tip-toeing to the tarp where I was standing.

“Say hi, y/n,” I directed, pointing to the camera.

“Hi, y/n,” she mimicked, and I rolled my eyes, fighting the smile on my face.

“Alright, you ready?”

“Ready to be better than you,” y/n shot back, a bright smile on her face.

“Ready…set…go!”

We began unrolling and stuffing Mentos into the liters of soda as quickly as we could. Almost immediately, they began fizzing, exploding out of the bottles and covering the tarp underneath our feet.

Y/N yelped as she slipped, her feet flying out from underneath her as she landed on her back.

“Better get up, y/n,” I called, still stuffing Mentos into my half of the Diet Coke liters. “I think I might actually beat you this time.”

She stood up, shoving me playfully, and I ended up slipping on the Diet Coke-covered tarp as well. 

She laughed as she began shoving more Mentos into her soda bottles, the bottles she had started with beginning to fizzle out. I yanked on her ankle, but she managed to keep her footing on one foot, still unrolling her mint candy.

In the end, she won, but we both were covered in sticky, fizzy Diet Coke. Her hair which had previously been nice and soft-looking, was now soaked and would likely have a somewhat crunchy consistency the next day, if she didn’t wash it again that night.

I brought y/n in close as we walked in towards the camera.

“Also, as I said in my previous video, I have a very important announcement to make,” I said, my voice low. I refused to look at the camera, so instead I focused my eyes on my beautiful y/n.

“Y/N and I have known each other for almost three months now, and she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. I can’t believe she’s been here for me through so much, and I know I’ve put her through a lot of shit, but she’s still the greatest thing in my entire life.”

I watched y/n gazing at me through watery eyes, her loving smile never wavering.

“Guys, girls, ladies, gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to y/n…my girlfriend.”

Y/N smiled even wider, if that were even possible, and I pulled her in for a very loving kiss, and she pulled away laughing.

“If any of you even dare to send her a hurtful word, I will block your account on every platform,” I threatened, this time making dead eye contact with the camera. “She’s my angel, and if I lost her because of one of you, I’d probably quit YouTube altogether.”

Y/N snuggled into me, and I wrapped an arm around her waist.

“We’ve had a lot of fun today, but we’re both quite covered in Diet Coke now,” I said, peeling my shirt off my chest, where it was stuck. “We’re going to go clean this and ourselves up. So, thank you guys so much for watching, and as always, I’ll see you in the next one. Buh-bye!”

“Bye!!” Y/N called after I did, sending an adorable wave into the camera.

I reached forward and shut it off. “Remind me to send that to Kathryn, please?”

“Send that to Kathryn,” y/n said immediately, a goofy smile on her face.

“You know what I meant, you dork,” I retorted, and she nodded, but her smile didn’t move.

“You are so lucky I love you,” I muttered as I meandered around, picking up empty soda bottles.

“I love you too,” she crooned, helping pick up bottle caps and Mentos wrappers.

Once we cleaned everything up to my satisfaction, we toweled off, laid clean towels on the seats of the car, and drove back to y/n’s house.  
I emailed the video to Kathryn, asking her to please have it edited and ready to upload within the next four hours. 

She texted me almost twenty minutes later, her excitement over y/n very undisguised.

I called her back, and she picked up screaming excitedly. 

“YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND??” she squealed, and I felt myself wince at her volume. “WHEN CAN I MEET HER?”

“I don’t know, she starts school back up in about two weeks,” I mumbled, and y/n’s head perked up. 

“Ugh, a college girl,” Kathryn sighed. “Well, tell her to keep her head in her studies, and that I’m looking very forward to meeting her. And so will Tyler and Ethan, once they find out about her.”

I rolled my eyes, but my heart warmed at the thought of all my friends being as excited as Kathryn to meet my beautiful girlfriend.

“Alright, I’ll have the video done in less than half an hour,” Kathryn noted, and I could hear clicking and excessive typing on her end of the phone. “Do you want me to email it back to you for inspection, or should I just upload it?”

“I trust your judgement,” I said with a shrug. “Just don’t do anything too extreme. Some effects, perhaps, and a cleaning up of the jump-cuts should be fine.”

Kathryn agreed, and we hung up soon after that.

“My editor is very excited to meet you,” I informed y/n, whose smile lit up the room again.

“I’ve seen her in your videos, she seems really sweet and funny.”

“She’s both. And she said she would tell Ethan and Tyler about you, too, and I assume Bob and Wade will find out at some point, from Ethan or Tyler maybe. And Jack and Felix already know about you.”

Y/N sighed contentedly, and I wrapped her into a tight hug.

“I love you more than anything,” I mumbled, and she squeezed me tighter.

“I love you too, more than anything,” she responded, burying her still-damp head in my chest.

We stood there for what felt like hours, swaying in each other’s arms. I couldn’t have been any more content had I tried, and I knew right then, I was head over heels in love with the girl I was holding.

Without warning, I got the incredible urge to just propose. I knew we hadn’t been dating long, hell, I knew we’d hardly known each other three months, but would it really be so bad? Proposing didn’t mean we had to get married right then, or even before she graduated college. It just meant I was ready to marry her, and she just had to say the word. It said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and I was already more certain of that than I’d ever been of anything in my life.

My thought was deflated at the realization that I didn’t have a ring. Of course, a ring didn’t guarantee a positive answer. Besides, her parents would probably disapprove of me even more if they knew I’d proposed to their daughter after less than three months of dating her. 

Y/N still hadn’t moved, and I pulled away from the hug just long enough to look her in the face, and I fell in love all over again.

The content look she had on her face, the way her eyes shone as she stared back at me, the way her glossy locks framed her perfect face, I couldn’t help but lift up a hand to caress her cheek. I’d never seen such glaringly obvious beauty in someone, and it was obvious she didn’t see it in herself. But that was part of what made her so exquisite to me.

“Are you alright?” she asked softly after a moment. “You’re so quiet.”

“I’m great,” I responded, my voice equally as hushed. “I’m just taking in every aspect of your absolutely perfect face as much as I can.”

She smiled slightly, then frowned just as slightly. “When do you have to leave?”

“My flight leaves at 2:45 PM tomorrow.”

She sighed, then leaned back into me. “I wish you didn’t live so far away.”

“I do too,” I mumbled, burying my face in her hair. “I wish you went to school closer, I’m sure there are plenty of options near LA.”

“Yes, I researched a lot of those, believe it or not,” she replied, pulling away entirely. “But I’m majoring in music, and OSU has the best music program within, like, 800 miles of here. My dream would’ve been Juilliard, you know, but even though I got accepted, my parents refused to let me go so far…”

I took a step back, this news completely overwhelming to me. “Wait,” I said seriously, looking over at the girl before me. “You got accepted to the _best music school in the country _and your parents didn’t let you go because it was too far away?”__

__She nodded slightly, her shoulders slumping. “They said they were proud of me for being accepted to such a prestigious school, but that it was too far away for their youngest child to be going at only eighteen.”_ _

__I felt myself getting angry. My baby was sitting here dejected because her parents had kept her from what could’ve been a lifetime of opportunities just because it was too far away._ _

__“Was it a money issue, too?” I asked._ _

__“Not really, I was offered half a full ride,” she mumbled, looking sadder by the minute. “You know, it’s not really that big of a deal. Let’s just get to dinner or something, yeah?”_ _

__“No, y/n,” I said, backing away from her. “This is a big deal. Your parents kept you from an entire world of potential and opportunities and career choices because it was too far away. You can’t let them destroy your dream like that, that’s not fair to you.”_ _

__She shrugged, much too complacently for my comfort. “My flute playing was always more for my enjoyment anyway. I’ll probably just take over the ice cream shop, the way I’d always been told I would.”_ _

__“And what are your brothers doing with their lives?” I asked, getting more and more irritated with the blatant injustice my y/n was being forced to deal with._ _

__“Leo is working towards becoming a professor at Georgia Tech, he’s always loved learning about architecture. And then Mitch, he’s really into software design and computers, he’s taking classes online at the University of Michigan.”_ _

__“They’re being allowed to do what they love to do,” I pointed out, gesturing wildly with my hands. “And you’re being forced to be an ice cream shop manager for the rest of your life?”_ _

__Y/N sighed, but I heard her breath catching. “Mark…I can’t fight my parents on this again. I’ve been through two years of college at OSU already, I don’t even know if Juilliard would even consider letting me transfer. Besides, even if they do, and my parents let me, that means I’ll be, like, twenty-eight hundred miles away from you eight months out of the year. What’s that going to do to us, when we can barely manage four weeks without each other?”_ _

__I looked at her, realizing her words for the first time. 2,800 miles, and two different time zones away. She’d be three hours ahead of me at all times, and I couldn’t randomly call her at like nine o’ clock because she’d be asleep in bed, at midnight. But if she wanted to call me after dinner, at like seven, I’d probably be in the middle of recording, at four._ _

__Y/N finally made eye contact with me, her eyes watering. “I’d love to go to Juilliard, it’d be a dream come true. But at this point, Mark, I love you more.”_ _

__Her words hit me hard, and I felt inexplicably guilty for coming into her life. I’d caused her to _want_ to give up her dream. I hated that thought.__

____“That’s not fair,” I pressed. “If we can get you in, you’re going to go. If you still take that half a full ride, wouldn’t that completely pay for your two remaining years at Juilliard?”_ _ _ _

____She looked at me, nodding slowly. “I suppose…but who’s to say they’d still offer it? They might not accept people who rejected them previously.”_ _ _ _

____“Every shot you don’t take is an automatic miss,” I retorted. “It’ll be a definite no if you never try.”_ _ _ _

____Y/N looked away, chewing on the inside of her cheek as tears spilled down her face. “I don’t know, Mark, even if they do accept me, there’s still my parents to go through…”_ _ _ _

____“I’ll take care of your parents, y/n, please,” I begged. “Just consider it, please? I’d be so much happier if you followed your dream. And just because you’re farther away doesn’t mean we can’t see each other. There’s still Skype, and I’ll still fly over to see you every now and then. We would make it work, I promise.”_ _ _ _

____She shook her head. “It’s not something I think I could handle, Mark. It’d be too stressful. The amount of work I’d have to do, being away from you for months at a time, being up against hundreds of other students who may have had lessons and practice longer than I have, it’s too much to take in.”_ _ _ _

____I threw up my hands in surrender. “Fine. Give up. That’s how everything works.”_ _ _ _

____She looked at me sadly, and I sighed in defeat, opening my arms up for a hug. She hesitated, then took it, and I could feel her hot tears hitting my shirt._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry, baby,” I murmured, kissing her head again._ _ _ _

____But what I didn’t tell her, was the plan I was already formulating in my head._ _ _ _

____I didn’t care what she told me. She could tell me Juilliard had blown up, or that she’d rather burn the school down than move so far away from me. She’d already admitted that it was her dream to go there, and she’d been accepted, so she had to be an exceptionally beautiful flute player._ _ _ _

____I’d had it decided since I found out I could try._ _ _ _

____I was going to get my y/n into Juilliard._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little late, but it's here!!!! I actually posted on a Sunday!!
> 
> I didn't realize until after I reread the chapter itself that I almost completely skimmed over the video making itself and seemed to spend way more time on y/n and Mark's argument about y/n's dream school. But it's all part of the plot, both their announcement and their argument. 
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll be back on Friday, hopefully with good content!


	17. Back To School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go back to school, managing to somewhat settle in. After a rather unpleasant encounter with a fan of Mark's, you deal with the aftermath of that. How does that go?

(Y/N’s POV)

The last two weeks before I left to return to school seemed to fly by. I was looking forward to it, as my parents had gifted me a new car, as thanks for all my extra help at the ice cream shop. I loved my blue Hobart, but I was unsure about whether the somewhat small car would be able to fit all that I needed to take. 

Before I knew it, the day had come for me to return to campus. I managed to fill Hobart’s trunk and the back seat with boxes and bags, and with one final goodbye to my parents, siblings, and Bailey, I took off for my third year at OSU.

Iris greeted me incredibly enthusiastically, and I hugged her very tightly.

“Y/N, you would not believe the summer I’ve had!” she gushed, her blue eyes lighting up. “After the 4th of July, I went to Greece with Jonathan and his family, and it was just so beautiful. Then, like as soon as I got home from Greece, I went on a trip to the Bahamas with my family, and of course Jonathan came with. You would not believe how good sex is in a hot tub on your hotel room balcony. Jonathan knows exactly how to do—”

“Iris, love, I’m going to stop you right there,” I said, holding up a hand. For some reason, her description of her obviously thrill-filled summer vacations irritated me. After all, I’d been slaving over frozen dairy products for most of my summer. My trip to Iris’s house had been my most exciting trip.

“Did you go anywhere this summer?” Iris asked. “Like, besides my house?”

I shook my head. “I mainly stayed home and helped out at my mom’s ice cream shop,” I admitted. “She needed the help and I needed the money,” I finished with a shrug.

Iris frowned. “That’s no fun,” she said, her lips in a pout. “Next summer you’ll have to go on our family vacation with us. You’ll have a lot of fun with Jonathan and me—”

“No offense, but if Jonathan’s going to go, I think I’d be better off serving ice cream to drooling toddlers,” I interrupted again. For some reason, the thought of having to third-wheel Iris and her boyfriend just made me have a momentary surge of dislike for Iris. Even though I’d sort of forced her to third-wheel Mark and me for a while.

“Oh…” Iris said, backing up. She seemed intensely hurt. “Well, I could always leave Jonathan off the invite list, if that’d make you feel better…”

“I’m sorry, Iris,” I apologized, feeling suffocating guilt. “It’s not that I don’t like Jonathan. He seems like a really nice guy, and I can tell he loves you. I just don’t appreciate always being subjected to watch your…mouth-fucking, that’s all.”

Still looking slightly offended, Iris’s shoulders slumped. “That’s alright. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Still feeling bad, I wrapped Iris in a hug. “Come on, love, I’ll help you unpack.”

Of course, it seemed like my help only cost Iris more time. It didn’t matter what I put down, she always came right behind me and moved it, if even only slightly. I even hung the tapestry above her bed the same way she’d had it last year, and she moved that a “little to the left,” as she’d put it.

I finally gave up, attempting to subtly leave her alone and unpack my own belongings. A new, framed photo of Mark and me sat atop my duffel bag of clothes, and I smiled at it. I hadn’t had it before, but I sensed my mother had had the picture developed and framed. The picture was one she had taken of us after we came home from filming the Diet Coke video, and we were both soaked and sticky. Mark gave me a bear hug as we looked at the camera, and I laughed at how bizarre we had to have looked as the camera shutter snapped. 

The two of us looked so desperately in love, so happy, so content, and I set the picture on my bedside table.

My phone rang just then, Mark’s face flashing on the screen. I wanted so badly to answer him, but I knew I would end up talking to him for hours while my dorm sat empty and messy, so I silenced the call and let it ring through.

I continued to unpack my books, setting them on my personal desk in order by size. My phone began to vibrate again, signaling a second call from Mark. I dumped pens, highlighters, and a couple dry-erase markers into my pencil holder before picking up the call.

“Hello?”

“Y/N, did you not get my first call?” Mark said breathlessly.

“No,” I lied. “I’m sorry, I’ve been busy unpacking.”

“Shit, I forgot today was move-in day,” Mark said exasperatedly. “I just had a quick question, if you have the time.”

“I have a few minutes, sure,” I said, humoring him.

“I just needed to know if you had any plans for New Year’s?”

I thought for a moment. “I don’t believe so, why?”

“I pulled a few strings, and I might be able to rent us an apartment down there for New Year’s,” Mark said, his voice incredibly happy. “Just you, me, and the sights of New York City. We might even be able to see the ball drop from our apartment!”

I gasped. “No way!!”

“Absolutely! We do have to fill out paperwork as if we were going to be moving in, but if we get approved, the landlord said she’d let us have the apartment for the holidays.”

“Oh my god, Mark, you’re absolutely the best,” I gushed, my heart soaring. “I can’t believe you’ve done this for us.”

“Believe it, love,” he replied, somewhat smugly. “I love you, of course I’m going to treat you like a queen.”

“New Year’s, all alone with you?” I asked, my voice lower. “I can think of quite a few things for us to do besides watch the ball drop.”

Mark chuckled. “Get back to unpacking, baby, I’m sure Iris is in the room with you.”

I glanced over to see her side of the room seemingly finished, and she was lying back on her bed with her psychiatric studies book, skimming through the first few pages.

“Alright, fine. But I’ll talk to you soon?”

“Of course, babe,” Mark promised. “If we don’t talk before your first day of classes, call me as soon as you get out of your last one, okay? I want to know all about your annoying classmates.”

I giggled. “I’ll call you even if we do talk before then.”

“Good, I was hoping you’d say that,” Mark admitted. “I’ll see you soon?”

“I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, y/n,” Mark said, his voice full of sincerity.

“I love you too, Mark,” I replied. “Only 99 days to go.”

“I’m counting them down with you, love,” Mark said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

With that, we hung up, and I continued to unpack everything I’d brought. My clothes were hung as neatly as possible in the irritatingly small closet, all the textbooks I needed for the year were lined up at the back of my desk, against the wall, and all my bags were stuffed under my bed, not to be touched until I was ready to travel home. 

Iris glanced out the window. “Is that your car??” she asked incredulously. 

I nodded. “My parents bought it for me, they pretended to be taking my car to run an errand, and then they came back with a new car.”

“Nice,” she said, before turning back to her newly arranged room. “I think this year’s gonna be great,” she said confidently. “I can feel it in the air.”

A knock sounded on our door just then, and I turned to answer it.

Two girls I’d never met before were standing outside, one of them with brilliantly blue hair and the other one with either no hair or incredibly short hair. I couldn’t tell, as she was hiding it under a large knit beanie.

“Oh, my God,” the blue-haired girl gushed, her eyes wide. “Y/N!”

I stepped back slightly, and Iris shot me a look. I gave her a pleading one, trying to convey that I had no idea who either of these girls were.

“I can’t believe this, y/n goes to our school,” the blue-haired one blurted. “Can you believe it, Rach?”

The short-haired girl shook her head. She still hadn’t said a word.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t know who either of you are,” I said finally.

The blue-haired girl started to bounce on the balls of her feet, her grin growing ever wider. “We’re huge Markiplier fans,” she said excitedly. “And we heard rumors that his girlfriend, you, went to school here at OSU, so we pretended to be your cousins and got your name and dorm number.”

“Could you ask Markiplier to follow me on Twitter?” the beanie girl burst out. Her first words, asking for a follow-back. 

“Guys, this is totally inappropriate,” Iris said suddenly. “You lie about being related to y/n just to find out where she lives. You show up and don’t even talk to y/n for y/n, you beg her to ask her boyfriend to follow you, other females, on Twitter. It’s cool that you guys are fans and everything, but this is crossing a pretty fine line.”

The blue-haired girl crossed her arms, glaring at y/n. Rachel, the girl in the beanie, just stood there, her face growing redder by the second.

“You’re a bitch,” the blue-haired girl spat after a couple moments’ silence. “Don’t you think she’s a bitch, y/n?”

I looked at her indignantly. “No, honestly, I don’t think she’s a bitch. I do know that she’s one of my best friends, and that I don’t appreciate you showing up and calling her names like that. She wasn’t rude to you. She pointed out that the way you went about finding me was very inappropriate. Not to mention, lying about being related to me to get information on my whereabouts could lead to an arrest on grounds of stalking. You’ve crossed a lot of boundaries today, and the fact that you’ve just called my best friend a bitch for pointing that out is kind of a bitch move.”

She stared at me, her mouth open in shock. “Oh my God, I thought Mark’s girlfriend would be polite,” she said, a foul expression on her face. “Come on, Rach, we’re fucking leaving.”

“You know, Zoe, both of them are right,” ‘Rach’ pointed out. “I didn’t even want to do this, I only went so you wouldn’t be alone. I was hoping to be in one of her classes or bump into her in the lunch line, but honestly, this is just too far.”

Zoe stood open-mouthed at Rach this time, before flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Fine, fuck all of you. Let’s see how long this relationship lasts,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “I have plenty of connections.”

I rolled my eyes, but kept my mouth shut as she flounced out of the room.

“I’m sorry about her,” Rach said earnestly. “Sometimes I worry that she’s got a few screws loose.”

I nodded, still somewhat shaken up. 

“Anyway, I’m gonna be on my way. It was nice meeting you, y/n. And don’t worry, I’ll vouch against whatever Zoe tries to post by way of shit-talking you two.”

Iris and I thanked her, and she went on her way. 

I shut and locked the door, before turning to Iris. “Should I call Mark and tell him about that?” I asked, my hands beginning to shake a little.

“If you think you should, you probably should,” Iris said. “I’ve never had a famous boyfriend, I really wouldn’t know.”

I sighed, my voice even shaking, before pulling out my phone and dialing Mark.

“Hey, baby,” he said as soon as he picked up. His voice automatically soothed me, and I began to relate to him the tale of the things that had just taken place.

“Good fucking God,” Mark growled. “I’m so sorry. I’ll try to post on social media that people should leave you alone. I can’t understand why people would do this to you.”

I sighed again. “It’s not your fault,” I said quietly.

“Y/N, this is quite literally entirely my fault,” Mark replied exasperatedly. “You’re my girlfriend, and you are being followed and stalked and verbally attacked by people who are fans of my YouTube channel. If I weren’t a YouTuber, none of this would’ve happened at all. You might’ve even made friends with that blue-haired girl.”

I chuckled. “She called anyone who pointed out her shitty ideas a bitch, somehow I don’t think we would’ve gotten on too well.”

Mark sighed. “I’m sorry, alright? Just do your best. I don’t know if paparazzi will follow you or not, but just in case, try to stick close to Iris when you can, and wear earbuds or headphones and sunglasses when you can’t. Okay?”

“Alright,” I breathed. “I love you.”

“I love you too, y/n, you’re my world,” he said quietly.

I felt myself smile, and I told him goodbye for the second time in under two hours. 

Iris and I stayed in the dorm room until nearly 5:30, and the sun was making its way towards the beginning of its descent. I would’ve stayed in longer, but I heard Iris’s stomach growl and refused to let my best friend go hungry.

“You up for some pizza?” I asked, watching Iris’s reaction.

“Actually, I was thinking Noodles,” she responded. “I haven’t been to a Noodles n’ Company since school let out.”

“Noodles it is, then,” I said, shouldering my bag. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, let me just throw on some shoes,” she said excitedly. 

We made it to my car without incident, and after looking around to make sure nobody would figure out that this was my car, we climbed in and took off. 

We reached Noodles n’ Company less than ten minutes later, and Iris seemed more excited than I was. 

She hummed to herself as we placed our orders, snatching up a bottle of Snapple on the way to our seats. 

I scrolled through my Twitter mentions as we waited, and sure enough, I managed to find one from @zoelynn18.

“@y/t/n is SUCH a bitch!! Just met her today and all she did was yell at me about being on ‘her property.’ Seems to me like having @markiplier as a boyfriend has already gone to her head, lol.”

I rolled my eyes as I scrolled through the replies. Iris had clearly found the tweet first, and I saw that Rachel, Zoe’s friend, had already jumped in to defend the both of us.

Iris and I made small talk while eating our food, and my phone buzzed a couple of times with incoming texts from Mark.

My heart clenched as I read his paragraphs, apologizing for the way I’d been treated and assuring me that @zoelynn18 had been fully taken care of.

Tears filled my eyes as I set my phone back down, beginning to pick at my food instead of regularly eating it. I missed Mark so much, it physically hurt. And to have to go three whole months without him? I didn’t know how I was going to be able to manage it.

I finished my meal mainly in silence, politely (or at least I hoped politely) declining Iris’s suggestion of ice cream afterwards. She insisted I drop her off anyway, saying she’d have a friend pick her up, or Jonathan, if he came back to campus earlier than originally planned.

I made my way back to my dorm room alone, the lonely feeling in the atmosphere around me nearly stifling.

I pushed open the door to my room slowly, heaving a sigh as I threw myself on my bed.

I called Mark, and when he didn’t pick up, I set my phone aside.

I rolled over onto my stomach, letting the tears leak out of my eyes until I finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got grounded, sorry for my unexplained absence. I failed an English test and all Internet privileges were removed as a result. However, I'm back on schedule, and hopefully this chapter doesn't suck complete ass. Sorry for disappearing, again. I'm doing my best.
> 
> Also, Noodles n' Company is a real food place!! It's like a fast food place but for pasta. You order at the counter like you would at a McDonald's or whatever, but then they bring these huge bowls of pasta to your table for you. It's honestly the best thing in the world. I haven't been to one in ages, but I'm in love with them.


	18. Lots and Lots of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finishes up finalizing New Year's plans, and ends up realizing he misses you too much to stay away for as long as he has to. How does this go?

(Mark's POV)

It took me three weeks to get the paperwork together, to y/n, and back, all filled out and ready to go. The day I got it back from her, I begged the mailman to wait five minutes while I stuffed it into an envelope, addressed it to Ira Marshall, and gave it back to him. He rolled his eyes, but he did eventually agree. I thanked him profusely, and he muttered something about “getting backed up” as he went on his way. 

Two days after that, Ira called to let me know we’d been approved, and that she would be reserving an apartment for New Year’s Eve the week of Christmas. She also pointed out that she would be sending me a confirmation email the week before to make sure I didn’t forget to send in the security deposit.

I agreed, and texted y/n the good news. She called me almost immediately, sounding as if she were near tears, she was so excited.

The thought of having y/n completely to myself for a whole few days both excited me and made time itself grind to a halt. Videos were becoming blander each day, and I could barely get myself to even record them sometimes. People were noticing, but I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore.

One day, about two weeks into this rut I’d worked myself into, y/n Skyped me. 

“What’s up with your videos lately?” she asked gently. “They’re not as lively as they used to be.”

I shrugged, the empty feeling in my chest solidifying itself into a giant rock. “I think I just miss you,” I mumbled, “and that overlaps into my videos.”

“Baby,” she said softly. “It’s only like two months until we see each other again. I know you can do it. We could even play something together, like Prop Hunt or something.”

The idea made me perk up. “Could we do that on Saturday?”

“Of course, love, just text me a time and I’ll make sure to be online. I’ll have to use my phone camera, but hopefully that’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, that works. I’ll be able to edit you into the video, it’ll be fine.”

“Cool,” she breathed, her smile radiant.

“Could we try and get Bob and Jack in on it too?”

“Sure,” she said nonchalantly. “I haven’t met Bob yet, but he seems great.”

“He really is,” I said with a chuckle. “We’ve gotten pretty tight.”

“Well, I only have twenty minutes until my last class starts, so I think I’ll have to let you go,” y/n said wistfully. “Text me about Saturday, alright?”

“I will,” I promised. “I love you.”

“I love you too, my sunflower,” y/n responded. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up, and I decided to put another Happy Wheels highlight video together to take the place of the next day’s 8 AM video. I didn’t want to use any more stockpile videos, as I had already used so many, it was beginning to become obvious that I hadn’t recorded any new, good content in a while. Also, I’d stockpiled so many in case of emergency, and in this case, I was just being lazy.

After the highlight reel was queued up, I checked through my Saturday schedule and was delighted to find it empty except for one scheduled phone call with Matthias, about a possible collab. I texted y/n asking if we could begin recording about two hours before that phone call, and she agreed. I was almost over the moon. The only thing that would’ve made it better was y/n sitting beside me.

I sighed as I made my way into the kitchen for dinner around 9:30, the sun already having sunk below the horizon. Small patches of sky were still streaked a dark orange, but the majority of the visible sky was pulling its dark blanket over itself, broken up only by tiny pinpricks of light.

I sat on my balcony as I ate my instant noodles, wondering if y/n and I were watching the same set of stars. 

My heart thudded dully in my chest as I thought of my beautiful girl, sitting in some random dorm room alone, studying for a class she probably didn’t even like. 

I sighed. I knew I was gonna cave eventually, I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

I headed inside, pulling up the airline website and purchasing a round-trip ticket without much hesitation. 

I then Snapchatted a picture to y/n, with the caption “I missed you too much.”

She didn’t respond, as I had somewhat hoped she wouldn’t, as by this time it was nearing 10:15, and I hoped she’d already fallen asleep.

I set my phone down, getting into the shower for what had to be upwards of 30 minutes. I crawled into bed with damp hair, hoping that the weekend would come sooner than either of us expected.

(Y/N’s POV)

I groggily rolled over, and light coming from my phone screen caused me to open my eyes more fully.

I squinted as I looked through a few notifications, a Snapchat from Mark catching my attention.

I opened it quickly, and it took a few moments to register the airline website that was on the screen.

I gasped loudly, but luckily, Iris had always slept like a dead person. She simply rustled a little and made no noise.

My eyes filled with happy tears as I glanced back at the screen. I saw his return flight was four days after his arrival, meaning we had three full days together. He would fly in Friday night and leave mid-morning on Tuesday, and I silently thanked myself for only taking one class on Mondays.

I sent him a text, hoping he’d already gone to bed. 

Me: you caved much more quickly than was expected. but thank you for such a warm surprise, love. looking forward to seeing you in just three days. <3

I set my phone back down, reattaching it to its charger. Glancing at the clock, I noticed it read 3:40 AM. I groaned to myself somewhat, as I only had 2 hours and 20 minutes until I had to get up. Wednesdays were my least favorite days, as my first class started at 8:30 and my last class ended at 6:00. 

I sighed as I rolled over, shutting my eyes again.

My alarm began to go off what felt like only seconds later. I somewhat yelled as I rolled over, smacking the off button with everything I had in me. Of course, since my alarm was my phone, I had to be gentle while smacking my alarm off with everything in me.

I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes with the bottoms of my palms. Iris was still dead asleep, something I envied her for. None of her classes started until 10 AM, so she had the luxury of sleeping until 8:30.

My shower was short, something else I resented. The warm water was in quite an abundance at this university, something I savored almost every Friday night.

Of course, the thought occurred to me that this Friday night, I might not have to enjoy said warm water alone.

That thought made my Wednesday so much brighter. Usually, if people asked how I was doing on that mid-week day, I responded with, “It is Wednesday.” But there was an extra bounce in my step and a genuine cheerfulness to my voice when I responded with, “I’m good, you?”

The majority of my day breezed by without incident. 

Once I got into my last class, Creative Writing, however, things got a little different.

A piece of paper landed on my desk halfway through the lecture, and as I was checking for a name in order to know who to pass it forward to, I was rather shocked to see my own name scrawled on the folded paper.

I opened the note with an air of dread, but the writing inside only irritated me.

You’re y/n, right? Mark’s new girlfriend?

I didn’t even bother responding. I huffed and flicked the paper off my desk, surprisingly without notice from the professor.

Another paper landed on my desk seconds later, but I ignored this one.

My phone buzzed, indicating a text from Mark. I glanced in the general direction of the paper-thrower before unlocking my phone.

I quickly changed Mark’s name in my phone to M with a heart next to it, before answering his text.

Mark: My flight lands at 8:30. Will you be able to meet me at the airport or should I get a taxi to your campus?

Me: no, i can come get you. i’ll probably get there way too early, my last class on friday ends at 4:50.

Mark: Eat dinner before you leave, please. I’ll be served dinner on the plane, so I don’t want you to go hungry. I’ll take you for ice cream once we’re out of the airport, so maybe skip dessert. :P

Me: okie dokie, artichoke.

Mark: You’re incredibly lucky I love you.

I smiled to myself.

Me: i’m also lucky i’m irresistibly adorable. 

Mark: That too.

Me: I love you too, Mark.

The conversation ended, and I smiled to myself throughout the rest of the lecture. I scribbled down the assignment as quickly as I could before hiking my bag up onto my shoulder and scurrying out of the Creative Writing lecture hall before anyone could catch me.

I met Iris for dinner, and we both complained about our professor in our British Literature class. We only took it because it was an insane amount of credits, but it was also an insane amount of work. Professor Hadley gave us three assignments a week, and if anyone dared to complain, she said simply, "If you believe that three assignments per week is too hard for you, then you, as a college junior, are nowhere near prepared for anything beyond these campus borders.”

She didn’t seem to realize that we often had assignments from our other classes, but I didn’t want to risk getting marked down for complaining.

I checked my phone fairly frequently throughout dinner, but nothing new from Mark came through.

Once dinner was finished, the two of us returned to our dorm room, where I simply continued working on my homework as diligently as possible, even though my mind kept drifting to thoughts of my phone, wondering if something had come through, even though nothing had. I started my critical essay for Hadley’s class, even though it wasn’t due until the day before we left for Christmas break. I knew that if I started and finished early, I’d be much prouder of myself and much less stressed in the long run.

The minutes on the clock ticked by painfully slowly, and I ended up saving my half-outlined essay in its own document and shutting my computer with a huff. I couldn’t focus on anything, it seemed, except Mark.

My phone began to ring unexpectedly, causing me to jump. Mark’s name was displayed on the screen, and I picked it up on the third ring.

“Hey, Mark,” I said, less enthusiastically than I expected.

“Hey, babygirl, you alright?”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “Just frustrated over schoolwork. Nothing new.”

“Well, only this year and next and you’ll have a degree,” he reassured me. “Are we still on for you picking me up on Friday?”

“Yeah, totally,” I agreed, wincing at my voice’s volume before remembering Iris hadn’t even returned yet. “What time does your plane land?”. 

“It’s supposed to land at 8:30, but I’ll know before your last class ends whether or not we’ve been delayed. I’ll be able to let you know.”

“Okay, great. I miss you,” I said, my voice trailing off to a near mumble by the end of my sentence.

“Two days, baby,” Mark reminded me. “I’ll be all yours for three days.”

I sighed to myself. “I’ll see you in two days.”

“I love you, baby girl.”

“I love you too, Mark.”

With that, we said our goodbyes and hung up, and my dreams that night were filled with nothing else but Mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm literally the worst person alive. first i don't update for over a month and now it's a short, shitty chapter. i've always been bad at filler chapters, so i'll apologize in advance. thanks for putting up with me. i'll try to have another chapter up by sunday but i work today, tomorrow, and saturday. pray for me.
> 
> i leave on vacation next tuesday tho, so i should be able to get more up while i'm away. i'll do my best. sorry again.


	19. Unexpected Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday arrives, Mark tagging along with it. However, things take a nasty turn.

(Y/N’s POV)

Friday dragged by as slowly as it could, it felt like. With no word from Mark on a delay, I arrived at the airport at precisely 8:00, phone in hand and bouncing on my heels.

8:30 came and went, and finally, at seven minutes until 9:00, he came through the doors. I squealed loudly, running up to him and giving him a giant hug.

“Hi, baby,” he breathed, his arms wrapping around my midsection tightly.

I held his hand as we made our way to my car, and he maintained silence even though I was rather animatedly telling him about my day.

I quieted down after a few minutes, and he stayed silent the whole ride back to the dorm.

We walked inside my dorm room, and Mark barely acknowledged Iris before lying down on my bed.

I sighed, feeling upset at him basically ignoring me, and worried about him personally.

I gathered my shower things and took off for the bathroom without a word to Mark or Iris.

Iris followed me to the bathroom, though, a look of confusion and concern on her face.

“What’s up with Mark?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaky. “He said hi to me at the airport and that was our entire conversation. I talked to him, but he never said a word in response.”

Iris shook her head. “He’s guilty.”

My stomach dropped. “Guilty? Why would he be guilty?”

“He’s worried that if he opens his mouth, he’ll tell you all about something he did that he definitely shouldn’t have done. So instead, he just maintains his silence, hoping that’ll do the trick for him.”

I looked at Iris, tears filling my eyes. I hoped with everything I had that she was wrong, but my gut feeling told me she was right.

I spent far too long in the shower that evening, as I couldn’t help but continue to overthink everything Iris had just said to me. Could he really have done something that would result in him being so guilty he couldn’t even speak to me?

I put off going back to my room after my shower, instead choosing to get dressed and dry my hair in the bathroom. 

My phone dinged just then, a text from Allison announcing itself. I picked it up, and the rock in my stomach gained three pounds almost instantly.

Allison: I usually say don’t believe everything you read, but this one’s personal…

Attached was an article that quite clearly discussed Mark’s outing the night before in unnecessary detail. I should’ve stopped reading after the headline, _FISCHBACH’S GOT MORE THAN ONE GIRLIPLIER,_ but for some reason I couldn’t tear my own horrified eyes from the article itself as well as the grainy pictures that appeared to depict Mark with an unidentifiable blonde. 

My heart constricted as tears sprang to my eyes. My Mark…the one I’d given so much to, the one I’d let so far in, had turned around and betrayed me, the same way everyone else I’d let in had done.

I shut off my phone and walked slowly back to my room, pushing the door open. Iris was gone, and Mark was sitting on her bed, tears in his eyes and his face red.

“It’s true, then?” I asked, my voice breaking, quiet as it was.

“Y/N, you have to let me explain,” he begged, pushing up off the bed. 

I didn’t give him a chance. I threw the shirt I’d changed out of at him, and it hit him directly in the chest. I knew it hadn’t hurt, but my point hadn’t been made.

“How _could_ you!?” I yelled, fresh tears streaming down my face. “I trusted you! I gave you everything! You…you just turned around and screwed me over, the same way everyone else has! You’re no better than Aaron!!”

Mark stepped back as if I’d thrown something else at him. 

“Y/N, I swear to God it’s not what it looks like,” he begged, tears running down his own cheeks. “I…I got drunk, a-and—”

“Why were you drinking in the first place?” I screamed back. “You _know_ how dangerous that is for you!”

“I don’t know!” Mark bellowed, running his hands through his hair. “I missed you, and I was out with Tyler, and my drinking just got away from me, I guess!”

“Then why were you leaving with that stupid fucking blonde and not Tyler?” I screeched, none of the sense this story was supposed to be making reaching my mind at all.

“He’d gone to—to call me an Uber, I think, and I didn’t realize he’d left, and I let the blonde girl—I let her take me home.”

My breath left my body as if I’d slipped and fallen. I stared at Mark, his eyes wide and pleading.

“If you had somewhere else to go, your ass would be on the fucking curb right now,” I snarled, my anger at an all-time high. I couldn’t tell which burned hotter, my anger or my hurt.

“I know, I know,” Mark said pathetically. “I—I don’t think anything happened, with us, I mean, I can’t remember.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” I asked incredulously. “You don’t know for sure, but you _think_ nothing happened. Yes, thank you, everything’s been fixed.”

“Y/N, please, don’t be like this,” Mark begged, reaching for me. I moved out of his reach, the blood in my veins turning to white-hot fire. 

“You can’t even remember if you cheated on me or not and you’re telling me not to be the way I am?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.

“Baby, please,” he said again, his voice getting smaller.

“I don’t think we should be together anymore,” I said, my voice cracking at the end.

“Oh, god, no,” Mark breathed, his sob coming out as a strangled wheeze. “Y/N, no, don’t—”

“Unless you have proof that absolutely nothing happened, I cannot stay with you. If I think you cheated and I still stay, what does that say about me?”

Mark squeezed his eyes shut, the tears still flowing freely. “Babygirl, please, you know I love you—”

“You can stay here tonight, but I think you should find somewhere else to go in the morning,” I mumbled, my heart beginning to cave in on itself.

With that, his shoulders slumped, and the rest of the fight he had in him seemed to simply leak out, like air from a deflating balloon. 

“Okay,” he said quietly, his voice smaller than I’d ever heard it before.

He grabbed his shower bag, muttering something about being able to find the bathroom on his own, and was gone. 

I sat down on Iris’s bed, staring at the wall eight feet away from me. I wanted to cry, and I felt like I should’ve been crying, but there weren’t any tears in me that felt like coming out. My chest physically hurt, and it took all I had to not let out a bloodcurdling, guttural scream. 

I texted Allison after a few minutes, simply saying, “it’s true,” before shutting my phone off entirely. I knew she would freak out and try to call me, but worst-case scenario she’d have to contact Iris to get to me.

The lights in the room were still out, nobody had ever turned them on. I sat on that dorm bed in darkness, the moving shadows enveloping me. I didn’t know how much time had passed, and I didn’t particularly care to know, either. Sitting there, staring, was completely fine by me.

(Mark’s POV)

The water felt close to boiling, and I still didn’t think it was hot enough. 

My head throbbed, both from the hangover and the excessive sobbing I’d been doing since I stepped into the stream of lava.

My skin was a bright red, and I didn’t care. My fingers were prunes, and I didn’t care. My hair was matted onto my face, somewhat poking me in the eye, and I didn’t care.

I’d fucked up.

I knew I’d fucked up, the moment I’d woken up on the floor of some unknown woman’s bedroom. I’d grabbed my shirt as quickly as I could, rushing out amid the protests of the blonde woman whose name I wasn’t sure I’d ever learned. 

I’d called Tyler, his side of the story no more reassuring than the fears swirling around my own head. 

I’d driven home, driven to the airport, gotten on that damn plane. I’d barely said a word to y/n, which, as I clearly later learned, had given her reason to believe I’d done something, which made it all the worse when she learned of my horrible decisions. 

I wanted to punch the wall, but I knew that between my fist and an insulated marble wall, the marble would not be the first one to tap out.

The scorching water, while comfortable, did little to ease the pain in my chest. My y/n, my beautiful babygirl, was heartbroken, and it was all my fault. I never should’ve messaged her, I could’ve saved her from all of this if my selfish ass hadn’t decided to find a girlfriend online.

But I knew, deep down, that I wouldn’t actually change anything if I were offered the chance to. Sure, I wouldn’t have said some of the shit that I said, and I definitely wouldn’t have gone out drinking the way I did, but I loved y/n more than I loved anyone else in my life, even if we’d only been together a few months. 

The way we were thrown together so rapidly made me fall as quickly as I did, and now she was basically being ripped from me because I had managed to fuck up once again. I hated myself. I couldn’t even manage to keep a girl I genuinely loved. This was torture.

I finally turned off the water, I had no idea how much time had gone by. I checked my phone when I got back to y/n’s dorm, she hadn’t locked the door behind me. It was nearly 2 AM, which meant I’d spent almost three hours in the shower. Which didn’t really bother me, at least, probably not as much as it should have.

Y/N had passed out, her back to me as she slept quietly on Iris’s bed. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and whisper my love into her ear, but I knew that she would wake up and continue to scream at me. 

My heart ached anew as the thought of what we had planned for New Year’s popped into my head. I’d done so much to secure this for my girl, and now I sure she was never going to reconsider her decision to leave me.

I set a vibrating alarm for seven o’ clock, pulling y/n’s covers up over my tired, wrinkly body. I curled into the fetal position, the scent of y/n in her blankets overcoming me. I knew I had to leave as soon as that alarm went off, and I knew that there was little chance I’d ever get to breathe in my y/n’s perfume ever again. 

I closed my eyes, and it seemed like my alarm immediately began to buzz. 

Tears filled my stinging eyes as I turned off my phone, gathering my things so as not to wake my beautiful girl. She stirred once or twice, causing me to freeze, but she never fully woke up. 

I opened the door, locking it before I shut it so nobody, but Iris, could get back in.

I ordered an Uber as I walked towards the dorm exits. The hallways were empty, as I expected, and all it did was make my own emptiness more resounding.

The Uber came shortly after I exited the building, and I asked him to just take me to the airport. 

I managed to switch my flight to one that didn’t take off until 4 that afternoon, so I shouldered my backpack and took to strolling around the airport, entering pretty much every shop there was, buying a couple magazines here, taking pictures with a couple fans who recognized me there, avoiding eating until my stomach growled so loudly an old woman glared at me.

It wasn’t until I boarded the plane that everything hit me, and the resolve I couldn’t believe I’d held so long came crashing down.

It was over.

 

(Y/N’s POV)

I turned my phone back on once I woke up, feeling like I had a hangover. The clock read 3:28 PM, and I rolled over to find my side of the room immaculate, like it had never been touched. 

I crawled into my own bed, the smell of Mark suddenly overpowering. I reeled back, getting out of bed and sitting on the floor. 

My phone began to blow up, notifications I hadn’t gotten earlier rolling in by the dozens.

I had eighteen missed calls from Iris, twelve from Allison, and a combined total of 78 texts from both of them. 

I couldn’t believe they hadn’t come to the dorm looking for me.

Just as I had that thought, the lock clicked and they both came barreling in.

“Why the _hell_ did you turn your phone off?” Iris cried, her arms flailing. “We were worried sick about you!”

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to talk, really.”

“Oh my God, she sounds terrible,” Allison said, dropping to her knees beside me. “Y/N, you’re letting yourself fall again. Don’t do that.”

“She’s what?” Iris asked, clearly oblivious.

“That’s exactly how she sounded when I heard her talk for the first time after all the shit with Aaron went down. She didn’t speak another word for almost a week, she was so wrapped up in her own mind. Y/N, look at me.”

I could barely bring myself to do that. 

“Iris, go to the nearest Starbucks and get her a venti caramel frappuccino,” Allison instructed. “Two extra espresso shots, light foam.”

“I’m broke, I don’t get paid until next Monday,” Iris said.

Allison huffed slightly and pulled out her debit card. “It’s on me,” she muttered. “Just hurry.”

Iris did as she was told. 

Allison grabbed my face, forcing me to make eye contact with her. 

“Do. Not,” she said forcefully, and that’s when my eyes filled with tears. 

I looked back over at my bed, at my nearly empty room, except for Allison and me on the floor. 

My mind wandered to the night before, when Mark and I had fought so viciously. We’d never fought like that before. 

I checked my Snapchat, Mark’s story showing the view from an airplane window, and the story was eight minutes old.

I realized then, he’d left. 

He was gone, the way I’d wanted him to be.

I knew, deep down, I didn’t want him to go. But he’d hurt me, so badly.

And now the truth of the situation hit me like a boulder to the chest.

It was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WULD YOU BELIEVE I NEVER ONCE HAD FURKCN WIFI ON VACATION
> 
> anyway i think this chapter is written a little better. I am ALREADY almost HALFWAY DONE with the next chapter, and i'M GOING TO POST IT ON FRIDAY WHETHER IT HAS 2,500 WORDS OR NOT. 
> 
> hope you liked it. And NO, THIS IS NOT THE END!!!


	20. The Tornado's Destruction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the breakup. Y/N also comes face-to-face with the "other woman."

(Y/N’s POV)

Mark’s tweet announcing our breakup surfaced less than two days later. He was incredibly vague, owning up to a “devastating mistake” on his part, but still letting me know he loved me and wished me the best. 

He had also announced a short hiatus from new videos that same day, letting his fans know there would be videos up, but they would be from a stockpile of hundreds of saved videos, and no new content would be up for a while.

I maintained social media silence, although my followers were getting angrier by the minute that I hadn’t made my own official statement.

Finally, after drafting and redrafting and several deletes and rewrites, I released what I hoped was sentimental, collected, and finalizing. Twitter, on the other hand, couldn’t handle my mini-speech, so it had to be released in a screenshot of a note written on my phone.

_@y/t/n: after just a few months together, @markiplier and i have parted ways. our relationship, while full of love and laughter, was tumultuous and often bitter. in the light of such a huge revelation, i have found that i cannot stay with mark, unless the appearance of our current situation is drastically retouched. i love mark with all of my heart, and i hope his future endeavors leave him less heartbroken than i did. i’m sorry for the hurt that i have caused, likely continue to cause, and will cause. i wish him the best in life, love, and happiness, and as for the future, i hope better things come to light. <3_

I watched as little support came through, most of it hate as it was clearly believed I was at fault for leaving Mark, even though it was quite a widespread rumor that he had, in fact, been unfaithful.

I had hoped the unnamed blonde girl would come out of the woodwork, breaking her silence to say that nothing had happened between her and Mark the night he had gotten so hopelessly plastered, but I saw no hint of any such thing.

I barely managed to keep on top of my schoolwork, crawling back into bed and sleeping whenever I wasn’t studying or finishing up homework or other assignments. 

My appetite more or less left, and I spent less and less time around the dining hall, where I knew people like Zoe from weeks before might try and pounce on me.

I could tell Iris was beginning to get concerned, although my grades hadn’t slipped too much. She tried to get me to go out with her, to some giant frat party, more than once, but not only was that not my scene, but my dreams were the only place my world hadn’t been completely crushed. 

After two weeks of this, Iris got tired. 

“Y/N, you are going to eat a for real meal,” she said. “No more living off of fucking Doritos. This isn’t healthy.”

I grunted from under my bedcovers, my attempt at a nap clearly going to fail.

“No arguing,” she yelled. “If I have to drag your ass to Subway, you’re going to legitimately eat.”

I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn’t see me. “I don’t want to go out. Just bring me something.”

She huffed, but I heard her moving around the room, before the trusty jingle of her car keys broke the somewhat tense silence.

“It’s a good thing I know your favorite Subway order,” she grumbled. I heard the door open, and then she was gone.

My phone began to ring only moments later, an unknown number on the screen. I hesitantly picked it up, my hope getting the best of me.

“Hello?”

“Is this y/n?” a familiar voice sounded from the other end.

“Speaking, who’s this?” I responded.

“It’s Jack,” the voice said, identifying itself as belonging to the Irish individual I knew quite well.

“Oh, hi, Jack, how are you?” I asked innocently.

“Y/N, you know I didn’t call ye to exchange pleasantries. It’s about Mark.”

I sighed, my heart giving a couple of painful beats. “Why?”

“Because, lass, he’s a wreck,” Jack said, as if it should’ve been obvious. “He isn’t eating, he isn’t takin’ care of himself, he’s barely even getting out of bed to upload a stockpiled video. I came down half to take care of Chica.”

My chest constricted again at the thought of Mark’s poor golden retriever.

“Jack, I’m sorry,” I said pathetically, tears springing to my eyes. “You know I love Mark, with everything I have. But I can’t stay with him if he cheated on me.”

“That’s the thing, y/n, ye don’t know that,” Jack retorted. “Who’s to say he did? Maybe he’s one of those drunks who won’t let another woman touch him. Haven’t ye heard of those men who won’t let their own girls undress them, yelling about “having a girlfriend,” even though said girlfriend is the only one trying to help them get undressed?”

“But he doesn’t even know. He was acting so unbelievably guilty, Jack, it’s like he knew what he did but didn’t want to admit it.”

I heard him sigh over the phone. “Lass, it’s usually not me thing to meddle in other people’s affairs, but I personally think ye messed up on this one. The two of ye have been through so much together, and I think ye owe it to him to support him until you find out the truth.”

I huffed. “Jack, I can’t go running back to him now, what if it turns out he did cheat?”

“Then ye can tell me ye told me so,” Jack responded. “Just talk to him, okay? He’s an absolute fuckin’ mess.”

“Is that y/n?” I heard in the background, before Jack said hurriedly, “I gotta go.” 

“Wait, I wanna talk to y/n, please—” was all I heard before the call cut off. 

I sat back in bed, crying once again. Mark had sounded so broken, so desperate, that I almost wanted to call him on his own phone, begging him to take me back.

A knock on the door brought me out of my reverie, and I stumbled over to the door before opening it.

A familiar-looking blonde girl stood there, her eyes red and posture stiff.

“It was me,” she barked, her eyes filling with tears.

“I—what?” 

“It’s me, remember? Zoe,” she said angrily, and things started to fall together in my head.

“You,” I snarled, and Zoe took a step back.

“I didn’t want to be immediately recognizable in the tabloids, so I went back to blonde,” she said nonchalantly. “But Mark was so drunk I could only get his shirt off before he collapsed on the floor. I ended up leaving him there, I obviously wasn’t gonna get anything out of him. But I guess that did enough, didn’t it?”

“You purposely tore my relationship with Mark apart?” I cried, causing a couple other dorm rooms to open, people peeking out into the halls.

“He deserves better than a bitch like you,” Zoe spat back. “Besides, I found him. I was home, you know, for a funeral, and he was blubbering about being lonely, so when his little friend left him for five minutes, I took him home with me. I was gonna fuck him, show him how much better I am than you could ever hope to be, but he passed out. But I guess the tabloids did the trick anyway, since he was too drunk to remember if he’d cheated or not.”

I was angry by then, angrier than I could ever remember being. I grabbed Zoe by her platinum blonde hair and tackled her to the ground, slamming her head into the hard floor.

“Someone call the RA!!” I heard a girl scream as Zoe scratched at my face, before punching me in the throat.

I gasped for breath as she rolled both of us over, punching me in the chin and smacking me in the face.

I grabbed her shoulders, throwing her off of me as I kicked her wherever my feet could make contact.

She screeched as I smashed her face-first into the floor, and that’s when the RAs showed up.

One of them grabbed me, the other grabbed Zoe, and dragged us apart.

The one holding me, a big black-haired dude, looked angry as he glared at the both of us.

“Hope this was worth expulsion,” he stated blandly.

“She’s not even in this building!” I yelled, struggling to get out of his grip. “She came onto my property and started bragging about how she managed to get my boyfriend to go home with her!”

“He’s not even your boyfriend anymore, sweetie,” Zoe spat back, blood running from her nose. “I did what I planned to do. Hope you have fun getting expelled.”

“You’re at risk too,” the blonde boy holding Zoe stated. “You’re not supposed to be in this building without permission, and then trespassing on another student’s property is also against the rules. Both of you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

By this time, the onlookers who had been in the hallway watching us had disappeared, slipping back into their rooms to avoid further problems. 

I winced as I saw Iris walk up just then, a large Subway bag in her hand.

“Y/N, I was gone half an hour,” she complained. “What the _fuck_ did you do?”

(Mark’s POV)

“I can’t believe you called y/n,” I mumbled, rubbing at my eyes. “What did she say about me? Did she say anything good?”

“She said she loves ye,” Jack stated, and my head snapped up.

“Really? Is she gonna come back? What—”

“I told her she owed it to ye to stay with ye until she found out the truth,” he replied, rubbing his temples. “I told her to at least call ye, and she said she’d think about it.”

My heart rate picked up just then, and I found myself almost smiling. “Did she say anything else?”

“Well, I told her how much of a fuckin’ mess ye were,” Jack said, to my utter dismay. 

“Why did you do that?” I asked incredulously, slamming my hands on the table.

“Because it was the truth,” Jack snapped. “Ye’re a fuckin’ mess. Ye haven’t showered since ye got home from y/n’s university, ye haven’t eaten unless I’ve watched ye, and I had to come down here to help take care of yer fuckin’ dog because ye could barely drag yer own ass out of bed to upload a stockpiled video.”

I hung my head. I knew he was right, but I hated admitting anything like that.

“I know it’s because ye’re in love,” Jack said, his tone softening. “But ye have to take care of yerself. Y/N is not gonna come back to a man who smells like eight dead frat boys.”

I sighed, shoving my half-eaten bowl of cereal aside. “My entire apartment’s a mess. I still haven’t called Ira to cancel our reservations for New Year’s. I barely even know what day it is.”

“Hence the term, fuckin’ mess,” Jack reiterated, rolling his eyes.

I made a face at him, standing up from the table to stretch my achy self. “I don’t feel like doing anything,” I mumbled, the familiar ache returning as I settled myself into the couch.

“I don’t particularly care,” Jack stated, coming around to face me. “Ye’re gonna get up and take a shower. Who knows, what if y/n tries to Skype ye?”

That got me up. The thought of y/n video Skyping me just to see me with matted, greasy hair and an unkempt beard almost made me as disgusted as hearing that Jack had told her I was such a mess.

My phone began to ring just then, and I leaped onto it in hopes that “My Baby” was being displayed on the screen.

However, it was an unknown number, which confused me, but I answered it all the same.

“Hello?”

“Mark? It’s Iris,” I heard the voice state.

“Iris?” I repeated, glancing at Jack, who looked as confused as I felt.

“Yeah, y/n’s roommate. Look, it’s about y/n.”

“What?” I asked, suddenly panicked. “Is she okay? Did something happen?”

“Yeah,” Iris said, with a forced, breathy laugh. “She got into a fight.”

“Y/N got into a _fight?_?”

“Are you just gonna repeat everything I’m telling you?”

“No, sorry,” I said, sitting back on the couch.

“Alright, well, the girl pictured with you in the tabloids? That was Zoe, that girl who lied about being y/n’s cousin to get her dorm room number and then attacked her on Twitter after y/n called her out on it for being a stalker. She knew you were drunk, so she took you home and tried to have sex with you, but you were so drunk you passed out before anything could happen. She went back to y/n’s dorm to brag about this, and y/n got mad and hit her or something, and they ended up really fighting and had to be broken up by the RAs.” 

The slew of information rattling around my brain made little sense, but I thought I had the gist of it. “So I didn’t cheat on y/n?”

“It would appear that way.”

My heart soared. “So she’ll come back??”

“I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket just yet,” Iris said. “She’s pretty pissed that out of all the girls you could’ve gone with, you went with Zoe.”

“I was drunk off my ass, I didn’t know who she was!” I yelled, throwing my free hand into the air.

“Well, try explaining that to her. She’s going to have to have an interview with the chancellor, to explain why they shouldn’t expel her for instigating a violent fight on campus.”

I sighed, leaning back on the couch and putting an arm over my eyes. “Do you think I should fly out to see her?”

“I don’t know,” Iris replied. “That’s up to you. I wouldn’t expect a warm welcome, though.”

I sighed. “I haven’t expected that since the last time I left. I’ll see what I can do, and I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Alright. Try to hurry, she’s gonna need support for this whole anti-expulsion campaign.”

I almost chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Mark. Sorry for bothering you.”

“No, it’s alright. Thanks for letting me know.”

We exchanged stiff goodbyes and hung up.

Jack looked at me, as if waiting for an explanation.

“That was one of y/n’s friends. Apparently, y/n got in a fight with the girl I got caught with in the tabloids, because she was the same girl that was causing problems for y/n around a month ago. She went to y/n bragging that she took me home, even though according to her, I passed out before anything happened. Y/N got mad that Zoe intentionally wrecked our relationship, and they ended up getting into a fight, and now she’s on the verge of being expelled for ‘instigating a violent fight on campus,’ or something.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Y/N got in a fight?”

“That was my question,” I said, putting my head in my hands. “She probably wasn’t really in the right state of mind. I know I’m not.”

Jack nodded to himself. “Are we gonna fly out there?”

“It’s only been three weeks since y/n and I last saw each other,” I said, hesitating. “Do you really think we should?”

“Well, I’m gonna go down with or without ye,” Jack stated, as if it should’ve been obvious. “Y/N clearly needs backup here. And I think it goes without sayin’ that the two of ye have a lot of talkin’ ta do.”

I huffed slightly, even though I knew he was right. I picked up my laptop from the coffee table, opening it for the first time in three weeks. 

“When do we leave?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol my mom likes to take away my wifi when i get grounded so i had plenty of time to write chapters but no way to post them. anyway, i have like three more chapters lined up ready to post already. so here we go.


	21. The Calm Between The Storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself writing an 1,800-word report for your disciplinary hearing. Meanwhile, Mark and Jack find their way not only to Oregon State University, but to your dorm room. How does this go?

(Y/N’s POV)

“You _called_ him!?” I cried.

Iris nodded. “He deserved to know. You can’t keep accusing him of cheating anymore, y/n, the girl who was there told you nothing happened.”

“Only because he passed out!!” I screamed, infuriated that none of this was getting to Iris. “She would’ve had sex with him. They would’ve fucked. If he hadn’t passed out, he would’ve cheated!”

“God, y/n,” Iris said exasperatedly. “Why are you focusing on the hypothetical? If you really loved the guy, you’d be ecstatic that nothing happened!”

I glared at my roommate. “He went home with another girl, Iris. I can’t believe you don’t think I’m entitled to still be angry at the fact that he went home with a girl he knew wasn’t me.”

Iris ran a hand through her hair, exhaling heavily through her mouth. “Y/N, I think right now might be a better time to focus on the issue at hand. You are on the brink of expulsion; do you really want to worry about what Mark almost did?”

I threw my pillow at Iris. “Piss off.”

Iris threw my pillow back at me. “Fine. If you want to sit around and sulk about what your ex-boyfriend might’ve done, even though we know for a fact he didn’t, fine. Don’t focus on writing your eighteen-hundred-word paper. Get expelled for all I care. You and your fucking boy problems, you think everything’s about you.”

With that, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I rolled my eyes as I turned on my laptop. Iris was just being a baby, I knew she’d calm down eventually.

I opened a new document, trying to figure out how on earth I’d start this paper. 

I should’ve considered myself lucky that the university hadn’t called my parents. Since I was a junior, and only a little over six months from being twenty-one years old, they hadn’t called either of my parents. I knew my mother would’ve been furious, especially after hearing the reason for this “disciplinary hearing.” 

I sighed as my fingers tapped on the keyboard, not actually hitting any keys. I had no idea where to start, and I realized, begrudgingly, that Iris would’ve known how to open the paper. 

I decided to start with why this hearing had been called and own up to the fact that I was the person who had thrown the first punch.

_My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and the disciplinary hearing which was called on my behalf, has been called due to my part in a ‘violent fight’ which occurred in my dorm building on October 19th._

_My ex-boyfriend is a rather popular YouTuber, and our relationship was plastered across much of social media. He and I broke up about three and a half weeks ago, after pictures of him getting very comfortable with an unidentifiable blonde surfaced. As it turned out, that girl was Zoe Hamptons, the girl I fought in the hallway of my dorm building._

_She came to my dorm room on October 19th, more or less bragging to me that it was her fault our relationship had ended, as she had been very openly hateful and jealous about it almost the entire time we were together. I was very upset about the breakup at the time, and her insensitive comments did not help my fragile state of mind. I was angry, angrier than I knew how to handle, and my better judgement flew out the window. I regret to admit that I instigated the fight, as I basically tackled Zoe to the ground in an attempt to get to her._

_We fought for a few minutes, before two of the RAs broke us apart. While she did hit me a few times, I believe I caused Zoe the most damage._

_I would like to personally apologize for causing this disruption, and I would like to apologize to both the university and Zoe for acting the way I did. I do not usually act this way, in fact; I have never attacked another person at all, whether verbally or physically. I do not wish to have my actions reflect the university in any way, nor do I expect them to condone anything I did for any reason._

_I would like to argue against my expulsion from Oregon State University on the grounds of temporary insanity. I have never done something like this before, and I can promise it will never occur again._

I sat back in my chair, looking over the entirety of the paper. I knew it was nowhere near eighteen hundred words, but it was something of a start. 

My phone started ringing then, Allison’s name flashing on the screen. I picked it up without a second thought, hoping she would be more on my side than Iris had been.

“Can you buzz me in?” she asked before I even had the chance to say hello. “I’m here to talk to you.”

Concern beginning to develop in my stomach, I went down and let her into the building.

We sat down in my dorm room, Allison on Iris’s bed and me on my own. She pulled a Monster energy drink out of her bag, cracked it open, and chugged way too much of it down in one go.

“Care to explain why there’s been a ’disciplinary hearing’ called on behalf of you instigating a ‘violent fight’ on campus grounds?” she asked suddenly, making direct eye contact with me.

I suddenly felt like I was being scrutinized by my mother, and I shrank back against the wall at the edge of my bed.

“Who the fuck did you fight, why the fuck did you fight them, and how the fuck did it get so out of hand?” she demanded.

I sighed. “Remember Zoe?”

Allison nodded.

“She’s the girl Mark was pictured with in the article.”

Allison’s eyebrows raised.

“She came over two days ago, basically bragging that he’d gone home with her. She admitted that they didn’t, like, have sex or anything, because he’d passed out before anything major could happen. But she was all in my face about it, you know? She was practically celebrating that our relationship had ended because of her. And—and I was really mad, obviously, and I tackled her, and—”

“You _tackled_ her!?” Allison yelled suddenly. “What the fuck, you’re not an NFL quarterback!”

I shrugged, feeling more miniscule by the second. “We kinda rolled around on the floor for a few minutes, punching and scratching and pulling hair and such…and then the RAs broke us up and were all threatening, you know, like telling us we’d probably get expelled and everything.”

Allison sighed loudly, leaning back on Iris’s bed. “What the fuck are you going to do if you get expelled?” she asked. “How are you going to explain that to your parents? ‘Yeah, I started a violent fight with another girl over a boy, and they kicked me out because of it.’ Your own mother will kick you out of her house.”

“It’s a first offense for both of us,” I argued. “They’ve told us both to write an eighteen-hundred-word paper on why we shouldn’t be expelled, and that our ‘argumentative essays’ will both weigh against the final decision.”

“Oh my God,” Allison said exasperatedly. “Do you even realize what you’ve done, Y/N? You attacked a girl over Mark. What happens if word gets out? You’ll just be seen as some psycho bitch who controls Mark’s every move. Do you really want that?”

I shook my head. “Of course not. I mean, I’m still angry that Mark went home with another girl that he knew wasn’t me. I don’t even know if we’ll get back together.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Allison snapped. “You are on the brink of expulsion, with an eighteen-hundred-word paper due to these ‘disciplinary’ authority people, and you’re worried about whether you’re gonna take him back or not?”

“You’re just like Iris, she doesn’t think I’m allowed to be mad either,” I huffed, crossing my arms.

“Of course you’re allowed to be mad,” Allison argued, her tone angrier than I expected. “I just don’t think your priorities are in the right order right now, considering the future of your tenure as a student at Oregon State is at stake. No relationship is more important than your degree, and it is certainly not more important than your future career.”

“But he’s my boyfriend,” I whined pathetically.

“Not currently, he’s not,” Allison quipped. “And personally, I think the thousands of dollars you’ve spent so far trying to study here would agree with me that you should focus more on not getting kicked out.”

I opened my mouth to argue back, but I knew she was right. 

I wanted to kick myself.

How could I have been so stupid?

(Mark’s POV)

Jack and I exited the plane, the feeling of dread solidifying in my stomach.

“OOO, let’s get Wendy’s,” Jack said, pointing at a nearby airport Wendy’s. “I’ve had their Frosty things before, they’re great.”

“You can,” I mumbled. “I don’t feel like eating.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Fine, be that way. But if I hear yer stomach growling later, I’m gonna say I told ye so.”

I sighed. “Does Y/N even know we’re coming?”

“I don’t know, I figured ye would make the decision on whether or not to tell her,” Jack said, forcing me to follow him into the Wendy’s in order to keep the conversation going.

“I didn’t know what to do, I was worried she’d just yell at me some more and I’d end up feeling stupid for even coming here and I’d just spend more money trying to get back home.”

Jack nodded through my entire run-on sentence, before shoving a large chocolate Frosty into my hand.

“Eat and talk, Mark, eat and talk.”

So I did. I told him everything I knew, from Iris’s call to our airport landing. Even though I hadn’t even talked to y/n yet, I told him how I dreaded our inevitable upcoming argument. She didn’t even know I was in Oregon, let alone so close to her university.

Jack listened, and added advice when he thought necessary, and before I knew it, I’d eaten the entire large cup of ice cream.

“See?” Jack said, a knowing smile on his face. “Told ye earlier ye were hungry, ye just didn’t wanna listen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Jack,” I said anyway. “I really needed that.”

We managed to find a rent-a-car place fairly quickly, though without a reservation, we were forced to drive off in a rather dumpy-looking pickup truck. Since Jack had no idea how to drive in America, it was up to me to navigate my way back to y/n’s dorm building, where we sat for ten minutes before I decided to call Iris.

“I don’t know if she’s in there, I left awhile ago,” Iris said, her tone irritated.

“Why?”

“Because y/n’s shit is all out of whack,” she retorted. “She’s so focused on the shit that happened with you, she’s not even thinking about starting on that damn eighteen-hundred-word paper she’s being forced to write for her own fucking hearing. I didn’t want to listen to her whine anymore, so I left. I think Allison was going to head in there to attempt to knock some sense into her, though, so I can give you her number if you wanna try her.”

I agreed to that, and just a few minutes later, I was calling Allison.

“Hello?”

“Allison? It’s Mark,” I said hesitatingly.

“What the fuck? Who gave you my number?”

“I-Iris did,” I stuttered, suddenly worried that Allison was going to yell at me too.”

“Why?”

“B-because Jack and I are sitting o-outside y/n’s dorm building, and we didn’t know if it was safe to come in.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Jack, who I guessed could probably hear Allison’s shouting, took the phone from me at that point. “Iris called and told us what happened with y/n, and she thought it would be a good idea for us to come down and support y/n during her trial. We appreciate ye attempting to sort out her priorities for her, but we thought we could also be of some emotional help to the lass.”

He put the call on speaker as Allison sighed deeply. “Alright, fine. I’ll buzz you two in. But if you get freaked out on, don’t blame me.”

She hung up without another word, and only a few minutes later we were standing in front of y/n’s dorm room.

“D-do we knock?” I whispered. “Do we just walk in? Can we just walk in?”

Jack looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read, but I was sure was trying to tell me how stupid I sounded. “What do ye want to do?” he whisper-yelled back. “Do ye want to go in there and see the girl or not?”

I stopped. Of course I wanted to see her, it’s all I’d wanted these past three weeks I’d spent entirely without her. But did I want her reactions, which were probably going to be less than positive? I knew I didn’t want to go through that again, no matter how well-deserved her anger might be.

“You have one minute to decide,” Jack said, setting a timer on his phone. “After that, I’m knocking.”

I hesitated for a moment, going over my options. I knew I wanted to see y/n, God, I wanted that more than I wanted anything right that moment. But I didn’t want her shouting at me again. I couldn’t take that. I knew I deserved it, for fuck’s sake, I’d let another woman take me home. But the anger, the hatred, the hurt that wove its way through every word she screamed at me was what I couldn’t take. I couldn’t bear knowing I was the cause of those emotions, that dark negativity that shattered her very core. 

I still hadn’t made a solid decision even when I heard Jack’s phone begin to vibrate in his hand, signaling the end of my minute of torture. Even if it had been self-inflicted, it had been incredibly painful.

Jack looked at me, not even giving me a chance to stop him before he raised a fist and knocked on the dorm room door three times, each knock resounding more loudly in my own head than the last.

“Wait, no—”

My plea was cut off by the door opening, the hinges creaking as the slide lock caught the door before it opened fully, Allison’s face peeking through the crack.

“It took you two long enough,” she griped, shutting the door in order to unlock it.

“She’s actually asleep,” she said more quietly, beckoning Jack and me farther into the room. I saw my y/n then, passed out on her bed, her arms still bent as if the laptop were still there, though it was sitting on her desk, presumably after being moved by Allison.

“She’s all kinds of fucked up,” Allison muttered, perching herself on Iris’s bed and leaving Jack and me to take up the two desk chairs. “I’m not sure I wanna be here when she wakes up and sees you’re back.”

I squirmed in my chair, although my eyes never left the sleeping form of my beautiful girl. 

She looked so peaceful. So, so different from the rage her eyes had held the last time I’d seen her. 

I felt my heart break all over again as I realized just what I’d done to hurt her so badly.

How could I have been so stupid?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i just have excuse after excuse. but this time i have a good one. i was in the Dominican republic for nine days, and even though i paid $25 for the wifi, it wasn't even good enough to text my boyfriend while i was in my hotel room. anyway, i'm back, i have three more chapters finished and ready to put up, and i'll actually see you guys on friday! :D


	22. Hurricane Y/N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up. Mark is in your dorm room. Let's see how well this goes down.

(Y/N’s POV)

I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep when my eyes peeled open, nor did I realize I’d even fallen asleep. My arms were so sore. That was all I knew.

I woke up further when I heard voices. I was still disoriented, and I couldn’t place where the voices were coming from.

I turned over in my bed, sitting up. I rubbed my eyes to clear my vision, and then I almost wished I hadn’t.

I saw Allison first, sitting with her legs crisscrossed on Iris’s bed. Her expression was blank when I made eye contact with her, and then my eyes swept across the room to see Jacksepticeye just chilling there, like he belonged. 

Then my eyes came to rest upon the last person I expected to see in my dorm room. Mark. 

I scrambled back on my bed when he turned towards me, and for a moment I saw hurt flash through his eyes. 

“Y/N—” he started.

“No,” I breathed out, my voice hoarse. I swallowed, my throat was dry. I needed a drink.

“Why are you here?” I demanded, my voice still sounding like I’d been screaming nonstop for three days.

Allison handed me a bottle of water from under Iris’s bed, and I drank half of it before putting it down.

“Y/N, please, I swear I’m here to help you,” Mark pleaded.

“Who told you to come here?” 

“We decided on our own,” Jack interjected, “but Iris seemed to think it was a good idea that we come down here and support ye during yer trial.”

“It’s just a hearing,” I bit back. “They know I’m guilty, this is just to determine my punishment.”

Mark ran a hand through his hair and looked longingly over at me. “I don’t even know what there is for me to do, but if there’s anything you want me to do, I’m here.”

My heart ached as I heard those words. All I wanted him to do was take me into his arms and kiss me like he’d never left. All I wanted him to do was go back in time and stop his drunk self from going home with another woman. All I wanted…was nothing I needed.

“I don’t know, Mark,” I sighed out honestly. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do, let alone what there could possibly be for you to do.”

Mark nodded understandingly. “Well, this might not be the right time to bring this up, but I think you and I probably have some things to talk about, by ourselves.”

I shut my eyes. “I know. Just, please – not right now.”

Mark nodded heavily. “Do we wanna order a pizza? You’ve gotta be hungry, ba—y/n.”

My heart caught itself as I heard him almost call me ‘baby’ again. I knew what he’d said, or, at the very least, had started to say. I nodded slightly. “Yeah, I guess I’m hungry,” I said in agreement.

Mark pulled his phone out too eagerly for me, and he quickly proceeded to dial the nearest pizza place, after Googling it for the phone number.

“Yeah, can we get two large pepperoni pizzas, please?” he said into the phone, before looking around for objections. When he received none, he continued his order. “Yeah, that’s great. And also two liters of Coke if you wouldn’t mind.”

After a moment or two of silence, he said, “Thanks so much, we’ll see you when you get here.”

He hung up the phone. “They said it’ll be about 30 to 35 minutes. If it’s over 45, we get it for free.”

“Nice,” I said without thinking. “How much was the total? I’ll chip in.”

“No,” Mark and Jack said together.

“I’ll take care of it,” Mark continued firmly. “I’ve essentially inserted myself back into your life, the least I can do at this point is buy your dinner.”

I sighed in defeat, throwing my hands up in surrender. 

“In the meantime, I think I’m gonna go show Jack around campus,” Allison said, too cheerfully. “Come on, Jack, I’ll show you the gift shop too.”

Jack’s eyes lit up at the mention of a gift shop, and he trailed after Allison like a happy little puppy.

I glared at the door as it closed behind them, mentally kicking Allison in the shin over and over for leaving Mark and me alone with literally no notice.

“Y/N,” Mark started, scooting towards me in the chair.

“Yeah,” I said emotionlessly, looking at him so he would continue.

“You know now, obviously, that I didn’t cheat on you,” he said slowly.

“The evidence does point to that conclusion, yes,” I stated monotonously. 

“Then why won’t you take me back?” Mark said, his tone of voice almost whiny.

“Because, sex or no sex, you still went home with another woman, Mark,” I said, as if it should’ve been obvious. “And with Zoe, no less. She’s the one that absolutely bashed me on Twitter just because Iris called her out on her creepy stalker bullshit, I know you remember.”

“Do you honestly think I did that to spite you or something?” Mark asked incredulously. “If I had been in the right state of mind, I wouldn’t have left the fucking barstool. Tyler gave me an earful for giving him such a scare as it is.”

“But you did it!” I cried out. “You got drunk and went home with another woman. You might not have had sex, but what about the next time you get drunk? Are you actually going to have sex then? I can’t live my life constantly wondering and worrying about your drinking habits, Mark. I can’t live my life continuously checking up on you, making sure you’re not drunk or with some other woman. I’m not your mother, and I refuse to be that obsessive girlfriend.”

Mark’s shoulders slumped. “I know that,” he said tiredly. “But I missed you. I was sad. I didn’t make very good choices. I’ll own up to that. But you can’t hold that against me forever. I didn’t even actually cheat on you.”

“No, but I should be able to trust that you wouldn’t, even when you’re drunk,” I stated, my tone finalizing.

“So that’s it, then?” he asked, his voice meek. “That’s the end of us, forever?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I can’t say that, Mark, I still love you too much. But I can’t be with you right now. Not with this hearing I have coming up. Not with everything you’ve been doing. Not with Zoe’s shit.”

“Your problem is that you’re going through this hell alone,” Mark argued. “If you took me back, I’d be here for you through every part of it. All the way through the hearing. I’d give up everything I’ve been doing. I’d be behind you all the way through any shit Zoe could dream up. Just say the word, y/n, and you’ll have me.”

I felt my eyes fill with tears as I heard those words come out of his mouth. It sounded pathetic and cliché, but it was all I’d ever wanted to hear. Not just from Mark, but from anyone. It was the only affirmation I’d ever wanted, that I was good enough to warrant someone’s undying and unconditional love and support even through someone else’s jealousy-infused horseshit. 

But still, despite every cell in my body screaming the opposite word at me, I shook my head. “No,” I squeaked out, tears running down my face. “I can’t. Not right now.”

Mark put his head in his hands. “I can’t be this close to you, y/n, and not have you.”

“You can’t support me if I won’t take you back?”

“That’s not what I said,” he snapped. “Don’t twist my words.”

“I wasn’t,” I defended, quickly wiping away my tears. So much for vulnerable Mark; I could almost hear his walls sliding back up. “I’m trying to clarify what I thought you were implying.”

“I was saying I can’t stay here physically and not be with you with you,” he said exasperatedly. “I’ll be here in spirit for the hearing or whatever, but I can’t physically stay here.”

“You can’t leave Jack here,” I said, almost as a question.

Mark huffed, finally making eye contact with me. “You’re not seriously suggesting I just…stay here.”

“Where else would Jack go?” I demanded. “I’m assuming you only got one rental car?”

Mark nodded, looking away from me again.

“Then there’s my point. You can’t just run away from your problems this time, Fischbach, because you actually have to step up to the plate and be a decent friend.”

Mark looked right at me then, his eyes flashing darker with anger. He came right up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, staring into my eyes with such intensity I was almost scared.

“ _You_ are my problem!!” he yelled, letting go as he finished his sentence. “You cause all of my fucking issues! I can’t look at you without wanting to kiss you. I can’t hear your voice without my heart breaking with every syllable you say to me because every word is spat out in anger. I can’t stand to be around you when I know you’ve refused to take me back, because to be so close to you and so far away at the same time is a fate worse than death itself!”

“What are you trying to say?” I asked, almost fearful of the answer.

“What am I trying to say?” Mark barked out with a forced laugh. “ _What am I trying to say!?_ ”

He took a breath, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself down.

“I’m trying to say I’m fucking head over heels in love with you, y/n, and having this conversation about us never getting back together is fucking breaking me. People always talk about being shaken to their core, but I don’t even have a core without you. You are my rock, my foundation, my core. Life doesn’t have meaning without you. The sun doesn’t shine properly when you’re not in my life. Every day that I wake up and remember that you left tears me to pieces all over again. I know it’s only been a few weeks apart from you, but dammit, y/n, hell if it isn’t slowly killing me!”

He finished his rant by throwing himself into the desk chair behind him, sending him rolling almost into the opposite wall.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t find words to formulate a response. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but that speech had definitely not been it. 

I stared back at Mark, who refused to break eye contact. His breathing was still heavy, but he looked as blank as he’d been when I’d first seen his face after waking up.

“I—you—” I couldn’t even start a sentence.

“You, y/n, are the love of my life,” Mark said, leaning forward in his desk chair. His voice was several decibels quieter, and I was thankful for that on many levels.

“Being in such intimate quarters, in such close proximity, while I don’t have you as my own, is a suicide I’m not sure I can handle.”

I began to cry again, my loss for words overwhelming. “I’m sorry,” I blubbered, crying into the abnormally long sleeves of my sweatshirt. “I can’t handle my own self right now, I can’t ask you to take me back on.”

“You didn’t ask, I offered,” Mark pointed out. “And I just told you, I love you more than life itself. I don’t even have a life worth living without you. I don’t understand how you think you wouldn’t be worth it when I just spent the last ten minutes trying to convince you that I think you are.”

I looked up at him, tears still streaming down my face. “You still love me? After everything I’ve put you through?”

“Like I said, I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I’d go through everything again ten times over if it meant I could have you back in my arms.”

He looked at me, taking both of my hands into his. “I’ve never felt more at home than I do with you, baby. My own apartment feels more like home when you’re there, baking cookies, scaring me while I’m playing horror games, or even just napping while I’m recording, I feel at peace. Like nothing bad could happen. And it’s all because of you. I know we weren’t together very long, but I love you. You mean more to me than almost anyone else in my life. I can’t stand being without you, it kills me.”

Someone knocked on the door just then, bringing us both out of our reverie. Mark cursed quietly as he made his way to the door. 

It turned out to be the pizza guy, and Mark handed him a one-hundred-dollar bill, telling him the change was his tip. After a surprised thank you, Mark sent the adolescent male on his way, before returning to his previous spot in the desk chair, which he had moved to right beside my bed, in order to hold my hands.

He put the pizza and the drinks on the desk before rolling the chair back over to where he had been. He took my hands back in his, looking at me with the sincerest look I’d ever seen from anyone in my life.

“Please, y/n,” he begged. “Take me back. I know I don’t deserve you, hell, you deserve someone lightyears better, but I can’t go back to how I was before I met you. It won’t work. You’ve completely flipped my whole life upside down, and if I try to flip it right-side up again, nothing will ever feel right.”

I sat there, with my hands in his, tears streaming down my face, for what felt like hours. I wanted to take him back, more than anything I’d ever wanted before, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. The hurt I’d endured while with him, and after him, had been some of the worst heartbreak I’d ever experienced. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, let alone myself. 

But deep down I knew I still loved Mark. I’d even admitted it to him. And he’d told me that he still loved me. Clearly, with everything in him.

I had no idea what to even expect if I took him back, knowing what he had previously done to damage our relationship to the point of breaking it. Was it something I could move past? Was it something I could truly forgive and forget?

I could tell my lack of response was beginning to worry Mark, as he had begun to shift the desk chair back away from the side of my bed. His hands still held mine, though his grip was beginning to loosen.

I realized how metaphorical this was, as I was figuratively (and literally) letting him slip through my fingers.

I yanked my hands from his, watching the hurt flicker over his face.

His mouth began to open, but before I let him speak, I shoved myself forward, planting my hands his shoulders and my mouth on his. 

He didn’t have any time to react, but his hands did it for him. They grabbed me like Mark’s life depended on it. I felt the familiar emotions come flooding through my bloodstream, and I knew I was all in, once again.

I just didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself back into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's late but it's still friday!   
> also my boyfriend got his license and we spent the whole day going to like Walmart and burger king and honestly it was the best day ever.  
> see y'all sunday ;)


	23. The Tweet Seen 'Round the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N spills most of the beans to Allison and Iris, but accidentally tweets about it at the same time. How does this play out?

(Mark’s POV)

After an amount of time that seemed like both hours and no time at all, y/n and I unlatched ourselves from each other. She sat back on her bed, I in my desk chair, and looked at each other, our eyes unwavering and our lips two shades darker. The corner of her lips twitched just slightly, and before I knew it, both of us were laughing so genuinely I could feel tears prickling at my eyes. But this time, for the first time in what felt like forever, they weren’t tears of heartbreak.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally, wiping tears from her own eyes. “I could’ve knocked you over.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t mind. That’s the first time I’ve been able to hold you since I left, I wasn’t going to complain.”

She smiled, and her smile lit up my heart. I couldn’t have told you the last time I saw her smile, and it made me the happiest man on earth.

The door clicked open just then, Allison and Jack tumbling through the opening. 

“How long has the pizza been here!?” Allison demanded, glaring playfully at y/n.

I looked at my phone. “Like ten minutes, it should still be warm.”

And indeed it was. The four of us enjoyed that pizza with laughter and happiness I hadn’t felt in so long. And even though I wasn’t sure where y/n and I stood in our relationship with each other, I knew we were so much better off than we had been even an hour before.

Eventually, the clock hit midnight, and visitors within the dorms had to either leave or register as an overnight guest. Jack & I already had a hotel room ready to go, so we bid Allison and y/n goodnight and left the campus.

We ran into Iris on the way out, and we assured her y/n was in a much better mood. I also informed her of the leftover pizza that was available, should she want any. She smiled tiredly, thanking the both of us as she traveled upstairs, dorm key tight in her hand.

When we got to the hotel, Jack turned to me and asked the question I had lowkey been dreading the entire night.

“So what all went down with yer y/n, then?”

I sighed. I didn’t know how to answer. ‘Yeah, we made out for ten minutes, but I still don’t think we’re officially back together yet’ sounded incredibly weak.

Jack seemed to sense my discomfort. “Ye did talk while we were gone, right?”

I nodded. “There was a lot of crying. I like to think we had a pretty serious heart-to-heart, I don’t know.”

“Define ‘serious,’ was it like this huge fight that led to revelations, or was it some quiet whispered conversation?”

“Both,” I said, though it sounded almost like a question.

“Both?” Jack asked incredulously. “How do ye scream and fight and end up whispering?”

“I-I don’t know,” I said with a chuckle. “Maybe that’s just how y/n and I work.”

Jack shook his head in disbelief. “The two of ye are somethin’ else.”

I nodded. I knew this already. Someone else noticing it, however, was not something I’d experienced before.

“I wonder what y/n’s telling Allison and Iris,” I thought out loud. “Do you think she’s being as vague as I am?”

Jack laughed loudly. “Mate, she’s a girl. They one-hundred percent already knew your dick size before ye slept with the lass.”

I looked down at my crotch, feeling my cheeks get warm. “Well, hopefully y/n was at least proud of my size and/or performance.”

“She’ll tell her friends the truth, so you’ll figure it out.”

I leaned back on the hotel bed. “Can we talk about something else now?”

(Y/N’s POV)

“Why won’t you tell us everything?” Iris whined. “You always tell us everything.”

“I did tell you everything,” I said passively, becoming more interested in my fingernails with each passing second.

“You did not,” Allison protested. “We’ve been best friends since seventh grade, y/n, I can tell when you’re hiding something.”

“If I wanted the whole world to know everything, I’d tweet,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Maybe I just don’t wanna jinx anything, you know? Mark and I are taking it slow.”

With that, I heard Siri’s distinct tone, and her voice rang through. “Tweet sent.”

Allison, Iris and I all looked at each other, the fear in my eyes surely readable.

“Y-you heard that too?” I asked tentatively, hoping it had been a figment of my imagination.

“Yeah,” Iris said slowly, “I’m pretty sure you just butt-tweeted your current relationship status.”

I felt the color drain from my face as I dug my phone out of my pocket. I opened Twitter, and sure enough, the sentence I had just spoken to my two closest friends, one I would never, ever dream of tweeting, was plastered on the Internet, with over 100 retweets in less than two minutes.

“Oh, god,” I said, hurrying to delete the Tweet. I knew, that with over 100 retweets, there was no doubt that someone had already screenshotted it, but the fear of leaving it up was worse.

“I have to call Mark,” I said, my hands shaking as I dialed his number. “I’ve massively fucked up.”

His phone rang twice before he picked up. “Y/N,” he breathed, “what did you do?”

“I’m sorry,” I cried, my hand flailing helplessly at my side. “I was just talking to Iris and Allison, and—and Siri must’ve turned on, I don’t know. It was an accident, Mark, I’m sorry.”

“Well, whatever you wanted to take slow,” he said with a sigh, “is already trending at number 8 on Twitter, screenshots are being tossed around like nobody’s business. I’m pretty sure Buzzfeed is already working on an article.”

I shut my eyes. “I’m sorry, that’s not something I ever wanted the Internet to see. You have to believe me, Mark, that tweet was never supposed to be heard by anyone other than Iris and Allison.”

“I know,” Mark replied, his voice tired. “I’m just not looking forward to damage control, that’s all.”

“Do you want me to help?” I asked meekly, although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. 

“I think you should just stay quiet for right now,” Mark answered, confirming my suspicions. “Don’t tweet unless I tell you to, alright?”

I agreed, and we both exchanged goodbyes, before Mark interrupted me just as I was going to hang up.

“Did you…” he trailed off. “You don’t have to, obviously, but I still have it rented out, so…did you still want to maybe go to New York for New Year’s? I still have the apartment rented out, I never got around to cancelling…”

I sat back in my chair. “I don’t have an answer for that right now, Mark, I barely know where we stand with each other. Ask me again after my hearing, alright?”

“Alright, I’ll wait,” Mark said. “But, you know…thanks for not just rejecting me right away.”

I chuckled a little. “You’re welcome, Mark.”

Then we exchanged goodbyes once more, this time actually hanging up the phone.

I sighed, scrolling through the scores of mentions that were already coming through. Tweet after tweet of questions and fans freaking out were rolling in, and I heaved a huge sigh before turning Twitter notifications off. I could’ve just turned off my phone, but in case my parents or Mark called, I wanted to be reachable. 

“How’s your paper coming along?” Allison asked, and I groaned. “I’ve only got, like, three hundred and fifty words. It’s ridiculous. They’re expecting an eighteen-hundred-word report, but what happens when I get out all I have to say in, like, thirteen hundred words? What if I give my entire argument, with supporting facts and all that, in sixteen hundred words? Even if it’s the most convincing argument they’ve ever seen in all of their disciplinary hearings, are they seriously gonna reject me if it’s two hundred words below the minimum limit?”

Allison and Iris looked at each other. “Zoe’s probably gonna make sure it’s exactly eighteen hundred words,” Iris mumbled.

I glared at her. “Hand me my laptop.”

She did so, and I spent the next twenty minutes cranking out a solid extra five hundred words. My argument, though solid, was sort of weak, since Allison pointed out there was no proof that I would never fight someone else like that again, considering the fight itself had been entirely emotion-driven.

“What do you want me to do, Allison?” I snapped, rubbing my eyes. “It is…3:12 AM, and I have eight hundred and forty-three words written out of a report that requires eighteen hundred words. I haven’t slept properly in three weeks, I made a really rash decision and kissed Mark, and then I accidentally fucking tweeted that we’re taking it slow! Not much is going well for me!”  
Iris and Allison looked at each other again. “You _kissed_ Mark??”

My eyes widened as I realized what I’d said. “Fuck, I wasn’t going to tell you guys that.”

“You kissed Mark,” Allison repeated.

“Yes, I kissed him. I was exhausted and hormone-driven, and I missed him. Are you happy?”

Iris shrugged, but she had a huge grin on her face. “Did you take him back, then?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “Like I said, I don’t want to jinx anything, alright? All I know is that I want to take things slow.”

Allison rolled her eyes. “If you had told me a year ago that you would be having problems like this with fucking Markiplier, I would’ve laughed in your face,” she quipped. “Honestly, this much drama with any boy would be enough for me to cut him out. I can’t believe you’re willing to put up with it, let alone go through it.”

I shot a look at her. “Maybe you’ve just never been in love,” I muttered angrily. I shut my laptop, putting it back on the desk. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m absolutely fucking exhausted. I’ll finish this report tomorrow, I have a week anyway. Mark and Jack are gonna come back at some point, but they’re supposed to call first. So if my phone rings and it’s either of them, answer it. If not, don’t.”

Iris and Allison agreed, and I fell asleep in seconds.

I awoke to knocks on the door, and I groggily rolled over to discover the clock read 2:18. I sat up, attempting to push a hand through my tangled hair when Mark and Jack came barreling back into the room.

“Fucking shit, you guys, you were supposed to call!” I hollered, covering myself up with my blankets.

“We did,” Jack said, sounding confused.

“They did,” Allison repeated, in a less patient tone. “Your lazy ass just wouldn’t wake up, so we decided to leave you alone.”

I groaned. “Alright, well, can you give me ten minutes to go take a damn shower?”

They did, and my shower was longer than ten minutes, but nobody mentioned that when I returned.

Mark sat on my bed, and I said nothing about that as I climbed up beside him, absentmindedly opening Twitter.

Eighteen thousand notifications greeted me, and I gasped in shock. Everyone was freaking out about my now-deleted Tweet, and screenshots of it were not only widely circulating, but were trending at number three on the leaderboard. #Y/NTookMarkBack seemed to be a highly popular hashtag.

“I thought you were gonna do damage control?” I accused Mark, showing him my phone.

“I attempted to,” Mark said defensively. “If you’d seen my tweet, it did absolutely nothing to quell any rumors. They pretty much think we’re back together.”

I hopped over to Mark’s profile, and sure enough, he’d tweeted about my tweet a little over fifteen hours prior.

_@Markiplier: Regarding a tweet from @y/t/n earlier, it was a private conversation that wasn’t meant to be seen. We haven’t spoken about getting back together, and we don’t know what the future holds. Don’t spread rumors. We are not back together._

I sighed. “What do we do?”

“Right now?” Mark asked. “Focus on your fucking disciplinary hearing. Whatever is going on in the internet’s life right now is not as important as your education. How many words of that eighteen-hundred-word report do you have so far?”

“Eight hundred and forty-three.”

“So a little under one thousand words to go. Let’s see your argument.”

We spent the next two hours finishing up the report, and it came out to one thousand, eight hundred, and three words. I could’ve cried as it came off the printer, I was so excited to be done. 

“What do you think?” Mark asked as he put the papers into a binder. “How fancy are we?”

“Very,” I said with a smile as we placed the binder on my desk, ready to go in six days when my hearing took place.

We celebrated being done with pizza in the room again, the five of us laughing and joking around. The way we interacted, you never would’ve guessed that just days before, the hostility in the same group had been thick enough to cut with a knife.

After a while, Mark and I ended up heading out to sit in his rental car to talk about, well, us.

“What do you think about actually getting back together?” Mark asked, after almost half an hour of basically mindless discussion about everything that had happened between us.

“If we do, I don’t want to go public right away,” I said, not making eye contact with Mark. “I know they all think we’re back together already, but I don’t want to really confirm that for a little bit.”

“That’s understandable,” Mark agreed, tapping his fingers on the unmoving steering wheel. “But like, what about your family?”

“They know we broke up, but I told them it was ‘irreconcilable differences,” I said with a shrug. “It won’t mean anything to them if I said we’re back together to give it another shot.”

Mark nodded. “Alright.”

He looked at me then, his hands gripping the wheel. “So…will you be my girlfriend again, y/n?”

(Mark’s POV)

She looked back at me, her hands folded in her lap. Her hair cascaded down her face in a way that made her skin almost glow in comparison, and I could hardly believe such a beautiful woman existed.

Her face split open with a smile, as she reached over to take one of my hands in her own.

“Nothing would make me happier, Mark,” she admitted quietly.

My heart leaped as I heard her say that, and I took her face in my hands and I kissed her like my life depended on it. I kissed her with everything I had in me, as I was doing my best to demonstrate that she was, in fact, my everything.

She kissed me back, and my heart nearly exploded. I loved this woman with everything I had in me, and I would spend the rest of my life trying to accurately express that to her, if she would be willing to give the rest of her life over to me.

When we pulled apart, all I could do was look at her in wonder. This girl, my y/n, had been through so much because of me, and yet she still loved me, still put up with me, still wanted to be with me.

“I’ll never do something like this again,” I swore to her, and she smiled. “Thank you.”

Then, all I wanted to do was kiss her again.

So I did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi.   
> my computer broke, and it took me almost two weeks just to get the word file of this story off of the hard drive. then, I just got a new computer like two days ago, and with my jaw being locked up to where I can barely eat, and being trained at my new job, it's been a real pain just existing for a while. i'm really sorry.
> 
> anyway, I have like three chapters written and ready to upload, so I should be okay for sunday and next Friday. school starts august 20th for me. has it started for any of you guys yet?
> 
> sorry again for the super late update and the super long wait for said update. i'm doing my best, I promise.


	24. The One with the Disciplinary Hearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N's disciplinary hearing after her physical fight with Zoe. Who gets expelled?
> 
> **there's smut in this one; it's marked.**

(Y/N’s POV)

The next six days flew by, and before I knew it, I was standing before my mirror, dressed to the nines, with my binder in hand at 9:45 AM, ready to begin walking to the chancellor’s building for my hearing.

Mark stood behind me, dressed in a suit and tie. He almost seemed more nervous than I was, with his hands wringing together and his brow line damp with sweat.

“Mark, this is a first offense, with no previous record of anything,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “My grades are even good, they’ll probably wipe this off my record without a second glance.”

He nodded, tugging slightly at his collar. “I know, I’m just nervous.”

I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his nose, and he kissed me quickly on the lips before letting me go.

We headed out the door, hand in hand, followed by Iris, who had also dressed up for the occasion.

Jack and Allison, who had arrived early to the building, met us at the entrance, both of them almost overdressed for such a hearing.

We made our way into the meeting room, where the chancellor, the vice chancellor, and a couple other people sat around a long table.

I glanced around for Zoe, but she rushed in as we were sitting down, dressed in a dress, but with unkempt hair and slightly botched makeup.

“Miss Gast, how nice of you to join us,” the chancellor said dryly. I almost snickered, but seeing the glare Zoe was giving me, decided against it.

“Good morning,” the chancellor said to begin. “My name is Derek Karn, and I am the chancellor of Oregon State University.” He flipped through a binder sitting before him, before coming to rest on what I assumed was Zoe’s and my incident report.

“Now, we are calling this meeting to order on behalf of a violent fight that occurred between Miss Y/L/N and Miss Gast on October 19th, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Zoe and I said in unison.

“Your requirement was to write an eighteen-hundred-word report discussing the event itself, as well as your arguments against your own respective expulsions,” Derek continued. “Do you both have those prepared?”

Zoe and I looked blankly at each other as I handed a binder to him, and Zoe pushed a thin folder over.

“Very good,” Derek said approvingly. “You were not required to give these to me, you will be reading them out loud for myself, the vice chancellor, our two secretaries, and your respective ‘juries.’ Now, I see Miss Gast has not pulled one together for herself, and I am assuming Miss Y/L/N’s jury will be rooting for her, but we will see.”

Zoe stood up to read hers, and she cleared her throat quite a few times, making eyes at Mark as she read through her entire run-on report. The chancellor looked to be very deep in thought as she sat down, and he finally nodded, turning his eyes to me. “Miss Y/L/N, the stage is yours.”

I stood up, smoothing down my skirt as I opened my binder to the first page.

“My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and the disciplinary hearing which was called on my behalf, has been called due to my part in a ‘violent fight’ which occurred in my dorm building on October 19th.   
My ex-boyfriend is a rather popular YouTuber, and our relationship was plastered across much of social media. He and I broke up about three and a half weeks ago, after pictures of him getting very comfortable with an unidentifiable blonde surfaced. As it turned out, that girl was Zoe Gast, the girl I fought in the hallway of my dorm building.”

I read through the rest of the report without trouble, attempting to breach the arguments against my expulsion with passion, and hopefully just enough innocence to retain the appearance of a somewhat humble individual.

Finally, once our reports had been read through, the four people overseeing the hearing excused themselves for a short meeting over their respective notes. When they returned, they called each of us to the “stand,” in order to ask us questions about the incident.

“Miss Y/L/N, is it true that you fought this girl because she intentionally broke you and your boyfriend up?” Derek asked, his pen ready to begin scratching more notes on his pad.

“Yes, sir,” I said slowly, my hands beginning to sweat.

“Now, is this boy present with us today?”

“Y-yes, he’s right there,” I admitted, pointing out Mark to the rest of the people gathered.

“Are you two still broken up, or have you amended things since then?”

“I—we’ve discussed it,” I said, though I knew I was lying through my teeth. “We haven’t really come to a mutual understanding yet, as I’m still rather upset that he went home with her.”

“Have you done anything with him?”

“That’s an inappropriate question,” the vice chancellor butted in. “It’s completely irrelevant.”

“Alright, I’ll withdraw it. Would you say your actions towards Miss Gast were entirely emotion-driven, Miss Y/L/N?”

“Yes and no,” I said, as truthfully as possible. “I was not only incredibly angry, but up to that point I hadn’t slept well in ages as it was. My fatigue, I believe, heightened my emotions as they were, and because of that, the subsequent anger at learning of Zoe’s actions made me act in ways I’m not proud of.”

Derek nodded somewhat absentmindedly, his pen scribbling away madly. “Would any of your friends say that you are normally a mild-mannered person, if you have adequate rest and are not disturbed by trivial relationship problems?”

“Yes, but I’d like to believe this particular problem was far from trivial,” I argued.

“Why is that?”

“Because I love him,” I stated, and almost everyone gasped. “The two of us have been through so much together, despite the fact that we haven’t been together that long. Zoe not only broke us up, but she did so intentionally, solely to get back at me for rules she broke, as well as the fact that she didn’t like that her favorite YouTuber had a girlfriend.”

“Oh?” the vice chancellor interrupted again, leaning forward in her chair. “Do tell, miss y/l/n, what rules, exactly, did she break?”

I glanced at Zoe, whose face had paled. “Once the news broke that Mark and I were dating, I became somewhat of an internet sensation myself. Zoe lied about being related to me simply to find out my room number and came to my room and harassed me for details about Mark.”

Derek and the vice chancellor both looked at Zoe, before looking back at me. “No further questions, miss y/l/n.”

Unsurprisingly, Zoe was the next one on the stand. Even though no judge was present, and the hearing was really no more than a meeting, they still peppered her with questions as though she were truly on trial.

“Did you, or did you not, lie about being a relative of miss y/l/n in order to obtain her dorm room number?” Derek asked her forcefully, and she began to break down.

“Yes,” she muttered. I hadn’t expected an honest answer so quickly, but I figured she knew her place, since I had been there and Iris was a witness to her stalkerish behavior.

“No further questions. Miss Y/L/N, as this is your first offense, we expect no further actions of this likeness, and we will wipe this from your permanent record if you have perfect class attendance for the next six weeks. Miss Gast, for stalking, harassing, and provoking a fight with another student, you are hereby expelled from Oregon State University. You need to have all your things moved out of your dorm room by three on Sunday.”

Zoe began to cry as she heard this, her cries echoing around the large room. Mark, Allison, Jack, Iris and I, however, quickly filed out of the meeting room, and, not too much later, found ourselves back outside of the building, where the sky suddenly seemed much, much bluer. 

“You did it!” Allison screamed, hugging me so tightly I almost couldn’t breathe.

Jack hugged me next, and then Iris, and before I knew it, I was in Mark’s arms too.

“You did it, babygirl,” he said, before kissing me soundly.

The five of us were still congratulating each other when Zoe barreled out.

“Congrats,” she barked. “You don’t have to find another school to attempt to finish your art history degree.”

“With a record like this,” Derek started, following her out of the building, “you’ll be lucky to find a school that accepts you.”

Zoe’s cries started up again as the two of them headed for her dorm room, and the five of us practically ran back to my dorm room, where we all quickly changed into regular clothes and did absolutely nothing for almost four hours after that.

(Mark’s POV)

The relief I felt when hearing the decision of the chancellor regarding y/n’s future was inexplicable. I had been so worried that she would’ve been expelled, completely wrecking my plans to attempt to get her into Juilliard to finish her music degree. I still hadn’t asked her about New Year’s in New York again, although she’d asked me to wait until after the hearing anyway.  
I’d already paid the four-hundred-dollar security deposit, and I hadn’t yet sent in the thirteen-hundred-dollar rental fee, though I was waiting for a solid answer from y/n to mail that off. 

Jack flew out that afternoon, saying he was sorry to go, but that being away from home for nearly a month and a half was really taking a toll. Allison dropped him at the airport on her way home, saying she needed to catch up on sleep. This left Iris, Mark and me all by ourselves, but Iris took off shortly after Allison and Jack did, meeting up with Jonathan for a date night.

“Don’t wait up,” she commented slyly as she left. “Jonathan usually keeps me out late.”

Minutes after the door shut behind her, Mark turned to me.

“Baby, it’s been far too long,” he said, his eyes dark. “Can I have you?”

Once the question clicked, I nodded, and he crawled in between my legs quickly.

***smut begins here***

“God, you’re not gonna be able to fucking walk,” he muttered, before connecting his mouth to mine.

His hands slid up my legs, pulling my pants down without any hesitation. His hands then went up my shirt, kneading my breasts in his hands. I groaned into his mouth, threading my fingers through his hair as he continued to kiss me roughly.

He pulled away for only a moment, pulling off his shirt before returning to kiss me again. My hands moved up his chest, my fingernails digging lightly into his shoulders. 

He moaned appreciatively as he pulled away again, helping me take off my shirt before shedding his pants.

He hopped off of me to quickly grab a condom, ripping it open with his teeth and rolling it onto his length.

“I’m gonna go in,” he said lowly, not even noticing that we’d completely skipped foreplay.

I nodded, spreading my legs so he could fit himself in the gap. 

He filled me up without other warning, leaving me gasping.

“You like that, don’t you?” he asked as he rolled almost lazily in and out of me. “You like when I go in without telling you?”

I nodded, moaning slightly as I bit my lip.

“Tell you what,” he said, sliding out, “you wanna try on top?”

I nodded, unable to find words.

We barely had the room to switch positions on my tiny dorm bed, but once I’d slid down on Mark, it made the whole thing worth it.

“Holy fuck, speed up,” Mark demanded, placing his hands on my hips as I slid up and down his shaft.

I put my hands on his chest as I picked up the pace, the noises coming from both of us getting louder the closer I got to my release.

I finished with a near shriek and several shudders, but I kept my pace steady until Mark climaxed a couple minutes later.

As I slid off of him and went to gather my clothes, Mark grabbed me, kissing me roughly on the mouth before pulling me into bed with him. The bed was tiny, which caused us to be nearly on top of each other as we cuddled, which, although we were both sweaty, was fine with both of us.

***smut over***

I woke up when Iris stumbled in at three minutes past two, her tall figure not mixing well with wedged heels.

“Fuck, y/n, why didn’t you warn me you guys were gonna be naked?” she whined as she hid her eyes.

“I figured you’d stay at Jonathan’s place,” I admitted as I pulled on a t-shirt and Mark sleepily pulled on boxers.

“Next time, tell me what you’ve got planned so I do,” she muttered, climbing into bed as we turned out the lights again.

The next time I woke up, the clock read 12:43, and neither Mark nor I had moved once since we’d climbed back into bed nearly nine hours before.

Mark’s breathing was still steady, and I assumed he was still asleep as I traced mindless patterns on the bare skin of his chest.

He awoke a few minutes later, putting his hand over mine as I continued to trace my fingertips over his skin.

“I love you, y/n,” he said quietly, even though Iris had once again already left.

“I love you too,” I responded, cuddling closer to him, even though that wasn’t entirely possible.

“Do you want to get up or just stay in bed for a while?” I asked, hoping I knew the answer.

“Let’s just stay in bed,” Mark replied, a yawn breaking through his words. “I don’t have anything else to do today. My videos are queued up for another week, at least.”

I nodded, leaning up to kiss him slowly, and he hummed in appreciation as I pulled away.

“Do you wanna try for another round or do you just wanna lay here and talk?” he asked, a playful glint in his eye.

“I just wanna lay here,” I admitted, leaning back down on his chest. “I kinda just like lying here without a care in the world.”

“I do too,” Mark agreed, pulling me tighter into him. “I love you, you know.”

“I love you too,” I replied, a smile on my face.

And so we laid there for another two hours, talking about nothing and drifting in and out of sleep. We talked about hopes and dreams, about secret fantasies and possible kinks. We sneaked kisses and giggled over minutes lost in each other’s lips. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so happy.

Then, as we were contemplating getting up and getting food, Mark sprang a question on me I hadn’t been expecting.

“Do you still wanna go with me to New York for New Year’s?”

I sat there on the bed, watching him pull the clothes from the day before on over his head as I contemplated my answer.

“Yeah, of course,” I finally said, and Mark’s face lit up.

“Really? You’ll go?”

“Yeah,” I said, a smile making its way onto my face. “I’ll go anywhere with you. I love you.”

He smiled back, walking over to kiss me lovingly. “I love you too, baby.”

He looked at me as he pulled away, the sincerest look in his eyes I’d ever seen.

“Thanks,” he said simply, after a couple beats of silence.

“Thanks for what?” I questioned, watching a content smile curve Mark’s mouth upward.

“Thanks for being mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at me posting on my designated posting days. go me.
> 
> hope you enjoy this one, I've got good stuff coming :)


	25. The One with the New Year's Getaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Mark make it to New York City. Mark also reveals his plans for sightseeing before the big countdown event.

(Mark’s POV)

The months after y/n’s hearing flew by. I barely had time to meet her and her family for Thanksgiving, between seeing my mother and stepmom, keeping videos going at a steady pace, and keeping my social life as upbeat as possible.

New Year’s was coming up, and Y/N and I still hadn’t gone public again. I respected her decision the way I’d asked her to respect mine so many months before, but I still found myself growing impatient, wanting the whole world to know she was mine once again, and that this time I wasn’t planning on fucking it up.

“You’re sure you have everything?” I asked her again, looking over her packing checklist as she pulled her suitcase towards the door. I’d picked her up from her parents’ house, and, although her parents weren’t ecstatic about losing time with her on her Christmas break, they were willing to let us travel together for these five days.

“Yes, Mark,” she said with a playful eye roll. “Trust me, my mother and I both double-checked it.”

I nodded finally, stashing her rather large suitcase in my trunk. We had three hours before our flight took off, and I was more than ready to be all alone with my girl in New York City.

We pulled out of her driveway after a fairly lengthy goodbye, and we were on the road with time to spare just minutes after that.

“New York,” y/n breathed as she stretched out in the passenger seat. “God, if you’d told me a year ago that I’d get to go to New York City for New Year’s Eve, there’s no way I would’ve believed you.”

I chuckled a little as I merged onto the highway. “Well, now you’re not only going, you’re going with me,” I joked.

“You’re not even Markiplier to me anymore, really,” she admitted thoughtfully. “I mean, yeah, you’re still Markiplier, but now that we’ve been together for, like, nearly six months, you’re just a normal guy. You’re my normal-guy boyfriend, at that.”

I rolled my eyes playfully. “I’m so glad I’ve been promoted from celebrity to normal,” I joked. 

She feigned an exasperated sigh. “You know what I mean, you absolute doofus,” she said. “I mean, like, when you were Markiplier, you seemed so superior, so unreachable, you know? Now that I actually have you, you’re just a regular person, and I love that.” 

I kept that thought in my head the whole rest of the way to the airport. Y/N managed to fall asleep before we got there, and, as a result, she was mildly grouchy up until we got on the plane.

“I don’t even know why I fell asleep, I’m not that tired,” she griped adorably, before yawning.

I rolled my eyes, kissing the top of her head. “Sure, babe,” I said in response, to which she huffed. 

We sat in our seats, y/n claiming the window seat even though my name had been on that seat. She lifted up the armrest and snuggled up against me, which obviously meant I wasn’t even mildly ruffled by her stealing my window seat. I wasn’t anyway, but her general adorableness made it even less of an issue.

The flight itself was uneventful, and the person who was supposed to be on the other side of me missed the flight, so it was just y/n and me in our row for the whole flight.

We got off the plane, and y/n couldn’t stop staring at everything around her as we tried to make our way through the airport.

“Baby, come on,” I kept saying as I nudged her along. “We’ll get here super early for the flight home so you’ll have time to look around and do things, I promise.”

She sighed, her face contorted adorably into a scowl, which melted as soon as I kissed her forehead.

We grabbed our luggage, then hailed a taxi. We managed to get one after being cut in front of twice by other people, and I had to stop y/n from fighting the woman who stole the second taxi we hailed down.

We arrived at the apartment complex almost twenty minutes late, but luckily Ira wasn’t too upset with us. She handed us a pair of keys, asked us to be out of the apartment by 1 PM on our checkout day, and showed us to the door of the apartment itself.

“Now, if you two decide to end up signing a lease, even if it’s after you go home, please make sure to let me know as soon as possible. These apartments fill up faster than you expect.”  
Y/N gave Ira a rather odd look, but smiled and thanked her anyway.

When we were finally inside, I closed and locked the door behind us.

“Wow,” y/n breathed, running straight to the huge picture window on the wall of the living room area. “This view is killer.”

Indeed it was. We were on the seventeenth floor of a twenty-three story building, and we looked right down on Times Square. We could either watch the ball drop in the middle of the crowd, or we could enjoy it in semi-peace and quiet right from the living room of our apartment.

“How would we ever afford this place if we moved here, anyway?” y/n asked. “I’m sure it was a beast to rent for four days.”

“It’s not as bad as you think,” I responded. “I did my research. My YouTube income would cover this and more, no problem.”

“But I’d feel bad letting you cover everything,” she said, which is exactly what I had expected to hear. 

“Babe, if you want to pick up a coffee shop job or something, I don’t have a problem with that,” I told her. “I’m just saying that my income would keep us here without worries.”

She nodded, returning her eyes to the view below.

The apartment itself wasn’t huge, but it was more than enough to house just the two of us. It was a two-bedroom apartment, with a large living room, an adjacent kitchen, and two bathrooms. The living room was what you walked into first, with the large picture window, a TV on the wall right next to the window, the corner of the TV wall and the corner of the window meeting each other. There was a bookcase built into the wall opposite the TV, and it was empty. I visualized y/n putting her music books into that case, and the thought made me smile.

“Why’d we come out so early, again?” y/n asked, breaking me from my daydreams. “Today’s December 28th.”

“Oh, right,” I mused. “I had some sightseeing planned for us.”

“Really?” she asked excitedly. “Where?”

“Just some stereotypical tourist stuff, you know?” I said nonchalantly. “Oh, and I arranged a tour of Juilliard, too.”

Y/N gasped. “Really?”

“Really, really,” I said, feeling my heart warm as her face lit up.

“How did you do that?”

“I called and asked, babygirl. It’s still a school, you know.”

Her smile could’ve lit up the room, and honestly, it did.

I walked forward and kissed her soundly. “Be ready to leave at 10 tomorrow, alright? And dress nice.”

She giggled. “Okay.”

(Y/N’s POV)

“Hey, let’s record something together,” Mark suggested, and I looked at him. “Something like…?”

“I don’t know. We could find some stupid two-player game online to play together for a video, if you wanted.”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I haven’t been in a single video since the Diet Coke episode, and I don’t know how the fans would react.”

Mark shrugged. “Rumors have been swirling about our reunion since your accidental tweet back in September. Some fans have given up hope, but I still think we should reveal that we’ve gotten back together. I think it would make me feel like we’re official. I like people to know that you’re not available.”

“The important people in our lives already know that I’m not available,” I pointed out.

“The fans are important to me, too, y/n,” Mark argued gently. “I understand that you can’t really wrap your mind around that, but they’re important in my life. They deserve to know that I’m with you.”

I looked back at Mark for a moment. He had a point. I had been somewhat selfish in making him keep our relationship a secret from the online world. His fans were important to him, how much he had done for them proved that.

I sighed slightly. “Alright. But I think it’s a more serious subject. Maybe we should just make a video talking about our reunion instead of making jokes about it during a game and creating more rumors?”

Mark nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. But it should still be a lighthearted video. It’s not a breakup video, it’s a reunion video.”

I smiled. “You’re absolutely right.”

Five minutes later, we had the camera set up, ready to go. Mark set it rolling and then sat back, managing to propel himself too far back, which resulted in him falling backwards.

“Oh, my god,” I said, beginning to laugh. “Leave it to you, Mark.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, his cheeks red as he sat back up. 

He looked at the camera, then looked back at me, the start of a smile evident on his face.

“Y/N’s MY GIRLFRIEND AGAIN,” he shouted suddenly, causing me to jump. I recovered quickly, though, and I laughed.

The rest of the video was spent talking about our reunion as genuinely as possible, while at the same time laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I did, however, smack Mark twice for making stupid penis jokes.

“Sorry for not uploading a gaming video today,” Mark said in the conclusion. “I thought this would be more important, both to me, and to you guys. I’ll be uploading a couple more stockpiled videos for the rest of the week, but I’m going to be taking the 31st through the 2nd off to spend as much time with my y/n as possible. Thanks for watching, and, as always, I’ll see you guys in the next one. Buh-bye!”

He kissed me on the cheek right before turning off the camera, and I giggled as he nuzzled farther into me once the recording had ended. 

“I love you, baby,” he said quietly as he pulled me into him.

“I love you too, Mark,” I replied.

He smiled. “That means the world to me.”

“You mean the world to me.”

He kissed me, then, and I smiled into the kiss.

When he pulled away, I stood up, grabbing my suitcase and carrying it to the master bedroom.

“Holy shit,” I breathed as I entered, Mark coming in close behind.

The room was much bigger than I expected it to be.

The walls were a light grey, the trim a deeper wine-red. The carpet was soft underneath my feet, the white color accentuating the walls.

There was a mural of words written in cursive above the bed, and when I went to take a closer look, I realized it appeared to be a quote.

“ _Time is very slow for those who wait, very fast for those who are scared; very long for those who lament, very short for those who celebrate. But for those who love, time is eternal_.”

An additional scrawl underneath the quote itself credited the words to Shakespeare. I took a quick picture of it with my phone, and turned to the view from the window. It was very similar to the view from the living room window, but since I found this entire view to be new and exciting, I didn’t mind one bit.

The bedframe was black, just like the rest of the furniture in the bedroom. The sheets, however, were red. 

“Do you like it?” Mark asked, as I finished my initial three-sixty to get my full view of the room. 

“I _love_ it,” I burst out. I’d never stayed someplace so nice, save Mark’s apartment. But I knew that by the day we left, I’d be dying to sign a lease to stay here.

Mark smiled. “I hoped you would, this seems like your kind of place. Just imagine if we lived here, you know, your music books could fill that bookcase out there, and we could have friends over, it’d be so much fun.”

I glanced at him quizzically. I found his choice of words odd, since we’d only spoken briefly of my flute talent. 

I shrugged it off as Mark’s phone dinged, letting us know Kathryn had managed to edit his video down in only twenty-five minutes. She was also quite willing to let us know how excited she was to hear that we’d finally officially gotten back together.

Mark and I got it rendered together, and just to be extra cliché, we pushed the “upload” button with both our fingers on the mouse, while Mark recorded our fingers for his Instagram story.

“We’re so gross,” I mused as Mark uploaded the short video to his Instagram story.

“I agree, definitely, but also I wouldn’t change it at all,” he said in reply, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss.

“I wouldn’t either,” I said with a laugh as I twirled out of his grasp.

He looked at me just then, and I looked back at him as my hair fell back onto my shoulders, calming down from the twirling it had just received.

“I love you,” he stated.

“I love you too,” I replied, a smile on my lips.

“You mean the world to me,” he responded, his eyes soft and full of love.

“You’re my world, baby,” I said, my smile widening as he came back over to me.

“You’re the one,” he mumbled, before kissing me again.

I kissed him back again, and the world became ours for the taking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had EVERYTHING set up to post yesterday. literally. I was two seconds from hitting the post button when our power went out. I only like storms when they're aesthetic and boomy. I don't like when they take my internet. >:|
> 
> anyway, here it is, albeit a day late. It's shorter than most, but it's also really filler. I'll do better with the next chapter. enjoy!!


	26. The One with the Tour of Juilliard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Mark tour Juilliard. Mark's secret plan to get you into Juilliard is also revealed.

(Mark’s POV)

December 29th dawned cloudy and cold, but I didn’t mind. We were taking our tour of Juilliard, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself, however secret I had to keep that pride.

We arrived on campus fifteen minutes early, to meet the president, Diane Norwood, and her husband, Lloyd.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” she said, sounding almost in awe. “I was on the committee that went over your resume when you applied two years ago! You have exquisite talent and massive potential. Why ever did you turn down the opportunity?”

Y/N’s pink cheeks turned red at the compliment. “My, um, my parents didn’t want me to, to go to school so far away. I live in Oregon,” she said, stumbling through her half-excuse, half-apology.

“Sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have listened,” Diane said gently. “If you still want a spot here, for your final two years of schooling, we’ll accept a transfer.”

Y/N’s eyes lit up, and then she glanced back at me. 

“Did—did you plan this?” she said, her eyes shining.

I shrugged, but the smirk I knew I was wearing gave everything away.

“Oh my God, yes, I’ll absolutely transfer,” she rushed out, her hands flying into her hair. “How—where—how do I start?”

“Well, all we need is your transcript thus far, and we could actually get you into classes by next week, if you want to start the next semester here.”

“Sure, absolutely, I’d, I’d love to,” she stammered, her expression incredulous.

“Wonderful! We have some papers for you to sign, and then we could either get you into a dorm, or if you’ve already found a place to live, then we’ll just get your class schedule sorted out.”

Y/N looked back at me again, and I could almost see the puzzle pieces fitting together in her head. But she didn’t question me the way she had before.

We went in to her inner office, as we had met the two of them in Diane’s outer office – which, in my opinion, looked more like a psychiatrist’s office.

She pulled a thick folder from one of the file cabinets and pulled out a thinner stack of stapled papers. Taking out a pen, she handed it to y/n and slid the papers over for her to view.

“It’ll state everywhere you need to sign,” she said, folding her hands. “You’re not agreeing to spend any money or anything, your full scholarship offer is still open. You’re just agreeing to send us a copy of your transcript within fourteen days, and to abide by the rules that the university sets. Is there anything on your record that might be concerning to us here at Juilliard?”

My mind immediately went to the fight y/n had had just a few months prior, but then remembered it had been wiped from her record as she kept up her promise of perfect attendance for six weeks.

“Not that I know of,” y/n responded sweetly, and we exchanged a semi-knowing glance. 

“Fantastic,” Diane said, her voice near a whisper. “You really are a model student.”

Y/N smiled.

“Have you continued with flute playing?” Diane asked.

“Yeah, but really just here and there stuff, I didn’t really take lessons or anything.”

“But surely you’re majoring in flute?” Diane asked, sounding surprised.

“Actually, I was majoring in Criminal Justice,” Y/N confessed. “I still plan to get that degree, though I can finish schooling for that online. I’m going to change to a flute major once I transfer here, though, that way I can essentially have a double major.”

Diane looked impressed. “You certainly have a solid head on your shoulders, young lady. I’m very proud of you for knowing what you want.”

“Thank you,” y/n said with a smile as she slid the signed papers back to Diane. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’ll get my transcript to you as soon as I retrieve it from OSU.”

Y/N and Diane shook hands after we exited her inner office, and we were sent on our way. We barely made it into the taxi taking us to lunch before she started barraging me with questions.

“Did you plan this? Was this your only goal? Did you plan to get me to New York under the guise of a New Year’s Eve celebration? What was the apartment for?”

I laughed. “Slow down, baby, I can only process so much at a time.”

“You can only process so much!?” Y/N cried, though her tone wasn’t angry. “I can’t believe you planned all this! And you managed to keep it all a secret!”

“Babe,” I said, making her look at me. “It’s not that complicated of a process. You admitted to me sometime last summer that you’d had half a full ride to Juilliard. I knew right then that you had to have some amazing talent, so I started planning that then. But then, when we broke up, that obviously got put on hold for a little bit. I never actually cancelled the rental; I hoped that we’d get back together, but I figured worst-case scenario I’d take a couple friends or something.”

Y/N looked at me. “How did you get into contact with anyone at Juilliard, let alone the president?”

“I just made some phone calls. I didn’t try to use my YouTuber status, don’t worry. In fact, I used your name to work my way up the chain. Diane remembered you almost immediately. She said she’d be happy to meet with you. I pretended to be calling on your behalf due to your own personal sickness. But I did it. And then I got you all the way here, you met with her, you signed with her, and now you’re going to be moving into that apartment with me in a little over two weeks to begin your tenure at Juilliard.”

“With you?” she said, a smile beginning to form on her face. “You’re gonna move in with me?”

I smiled back at her. “But of course, my love. Did you think I was going to spring all of this on you and then let you muddle through it alone? No way.”

She giggled at my semi-fancy words. “So how is any of that going to work? How are you going to get any of your stuff here?”

“I’ll mail it, probably,” I mused. “Big stuff, though, like my computers and cameras and sound equipment I’ll pack myself in the van and drive back up here. I’ll have to make the drive at some point if I want my cars with me.”

She nodded. “What about my stuff?”

“You really just need the stuff from your dorm, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ll also need stuff from my house. And Hobart, I’ll have to drive him down here too.”

I hugged her into my side as the taxi came to a stop alongside a small Chinese diner. “We’ll get this done, baby, I promise.”

She kissed my cheek before climbing out of the car. “I love you, so much,” she said softly as I climbed out after her.

I paid the cab driver before following her into the restaurant. “I love you too,” I told her.

Once we finished eating, the apartment building was well within walking distance, so we hurried slightly since it was still bitterly cold.

“I’m going to be honest with you, that was the only real sightseeing I had planned,” I confessed once we got inside. “I was hoping we would spend the rest of the time either working on what you need to get for your transfer, or…with each other.”

She grinned at me, almost mischievously. “Keep it in your pants for now, Fischbach,” she said teasingly. “I do want to work on getting my transcript.”

So we started that. I helped her draft an email to the president of OSU, and I’m very proud to say that the final draft came out marvelously. 

_Dear President Warner,_

_It is with regret that I email you to inform you of my transfer from Oregon State University. I have decided to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity at Juilliard, to major in flute on behalf of nearly a full scholarship. I will begin classes there as soon as the new semester begins._

_In order to complete my transfer, I need a complete transcript of the classes I have already taken and the grades I received in them. I’m not aware of who I need to contact to get that done, so if you could either send it to me yourself or direct me to the person I need to contact, that would be fantastic._

_Thank you for accepting me at OSU, I had a wonderful time there. Deciding to begin continuing my education at your school was an incredibly good choice._

_Thank you again._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Y/N Y/L/N_

Once that had been sent, we looked through the list of textbooks that Juilliard’s administrative assistant had emailed her. We bought every one of them right then, used, for nearly half of what we would’ve paid had we bought them new.

Y/N sat back in her chair once we were completely finished, and breathed out a sigh. “Now all I need to do is tell my parents,” she said, rubbing a hand over her face.

I winced. I’d forgotten about that. “How do you think that’s gonna go?” I asked tentatively. 

“Not well, I’m assuming,” y/n replied. “The fit they threw when I told them about wanting to go the first time was so massive, I don’t even want to know how this would go.”

“You should really tell them sooner, though,” I advised. “The longer you wait, the scarier it’s going to get.”

“Yeah, I get that,” y/n replied. “I’m putting them on speaker so you can be moral support, though.”

(Y/N’s POV)

I called my mother rather hesitantly, and she picked up on the third ring.

“Y/N, hi!” she said, her tone bubbly. “What’s the occasion?”

“I have news,” I began, immediately regretting my tone.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, before gasping. “Are you pregnant!?”

“What? No,” I said, feeling my cheeks turn hot. “That’s not it at all. I was calling – I was calling –” I could feel myself beginning to stutter again. “I was calling because I had a meeting – a meeting – with the president of – of Juilliard today. She said – she said my scholarship was still up – up for grabs, and I signed all the paperwork – paperwork necessary to transfer. I’m starting classes with the new semester in like two weeks.”

The other end was silent for many seconds, and I was about to ask if she was still there before her voice sounded shrilly through the phone.

“Are you insane!?” she shrieked. “After all the money your father and I have spent keeping you in OSU!?”

“Mom, this is going to save you money,” I argued desperately. “The rest of my tuition at Juilliard is paid for. This is an incredible opportunity!”

“You’re throwing away a perfectly solid career path for your flute,” she said condescendingly. “You’re going to take one of the riskiest paths there is. I can’t believe you would be so stupid as to actually do this.”

“I’m still going to get my criminal justice degree,” I yelled. “I’m just going to do it online. It saves money, like I just said. I could really go far with my flute. And if I don’t, I can try and get a job at a New York precinct. I’m sure they could use more cops.”

My mother scoffed loudly. “And how are you living there? You can only live in a dorm as long as you’re attending there.”

“Mark and I already have an apartment,” I announced indignantly. “We’ll be able to afford it just fine. I’m going to pick up a coffee house job of some sort, and Mark’s YouTube money is going to be a huge help.”

“You’re an idiot, y/n, plain and simple,” my mother said, her voice angry. “Don’t bother telling your father, he’s right here listening on speakerphone. We don’t support this, y/n, and you know why.”

“Because it’s too far away,” I snapped. “Just because I won’t be able to come home as often and take over your ice cream shop. Just because I can’t take over management of it, because there’s literally nothing I would hate more. This is my passion, Mom, this is where my heart lies. If you can’t support that, I can’t help you.”

“Goodbye, y/n, I hope you rethink this awful choice,” my mom responded stiffly. “Perhaps once the excitement has worn off, you’ll realize I was right.”

“Pursuing my dream will never be unexciting,” I snarked back. “Goodbye.”

I hung up the phone before she could say anything else and launched it to the other side of the couch.

“I can’t stand her!” I screamed, causing Mark to jump.

“She thinks that just because I’m not her little puppet anymore, I can’t make good life decisions all on my own. I’m still going to get a criminal justice degree! I have a backup plan! She thinks I’m jumping headfirst into a shallow pool but I actually do have more than half a brain!!” 

“I know you do,” Mark said, standing up to try and calm me down. “I know you do. You have come so far even just since I met you, you will be okay. Just breathe. Don’t let your mother’s unfair criticism get in the way of your potential, okay?”

I took a deep breath. “Thank you, Mark. I just wish she believed in me.”

“I do too, love,” he said with a sigh. “I do too.”

(Mark’s POV)

I looked at the clock, and was surprised to see it read 7:26. We’d genuinely just spent the last almost 5 hours doing Juilliard-related things.

I pulled y/n in close, kissing her forehead. “It’s alright, babe, we’ll think about this more in the morning. Let’s call Ira and tell her we’ve already decided to stay here permanently.”

“Okay,” she said, her tired eyes gaining a little sparkle back. “That sounds like a great idea.”

So we did, and she came up to greet us with more paperwork, explaining that she usually worked there until eight most nights, which meant we’d gotten her just in time.

“Just sign these, indicating you’re both on the lease,” she said, handing us pens so we could sign at the same time. “Then you can just keep those keys until such a time as you let your lease run out. You can renew it for as long as you like, and if you decide you want to move out, you do have to stick the lease out, but once that time runs out you don’t have to renew. You will have fourteen days after your lease runs out to move out, however. During that fourteen days the option to renew again is still available. That way we don’t kick you out if you change your mind, you know?”

We agreed, and quickly signed onto a one-year lease. I looked at y/n, so adorable in her huge sweatshirt, and thought about what it’d be like to live here, with her, for a whole year. I couldn’t wait to begin making memories.

Once Ira left, the two of us spent what felt like forever standing at the window, watching a soft snow begin to fall over the city. It was already dark, but the streetlights seemed to illuminate the flakes that were falling, and the swirling snow covered the landscape in a beautiful white duvet. 

We made some hot chocolate that evening, cuddling up together and sharing stories of Christmases past. 

I knew then, that I loved this girl more than anyone I’d ever met. Her eyes shined in the light from the fake fireplace, and her laugh was as sweet as – well, as flute music (no pun intended). 

The thought hit me rather unexpectedly, but once I’d processed it I knew I wanted to, without a doubt.

I wanted to ask the girl sitting next to me, wrapped in a blanket, to be my wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how long has it been? I don't know. anyway, here u go! I've been up to my neck in homework and my job and everything. i'm sorry. i'm doing my best.
> 
> edit: I POSTED THIS. I CLICKED POST. I PREVIEWED IT AND THEN CLICKED POST. I LOG ON TODAY AND IT SAYS THIS CHAPTER'S A DRAFT.
> 
> i'm v angery.


	27. Life in the Big Apple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life settles into a routine for you and Mark, living in the heart of New York City. Mark decides he wants to go on tour. Will this fit in with your hectic schedule, between juggling work, school, and any resemblance of a social life?

(Y/N’s POV)

New Year’s Eve came and went, and Mark and I burst into the new year with schedules filled to overflowing. It took us three weeks (and a lot of gas) to get everything we needed from our homes. I got everything from my dorm and my house in the same trip, although I was barely let into my house. I told my parents to sell what I left behind, and Hobart and I were off, taking the next three days to make it back to New York City.

Mark shipped most of the stuff he wanted to our new place, and did end up driving his important things back to the apartment from his old place in LA. He said his landlord wasn’t too happy about him moving out two days before rent was due, but he managed to pay him half and get out of too much trouble.

I even managed to land the coffee house job I had wanted to get, to help Mark out. I was working three days a week at Cream & Sugar, a cute little downtown café. Three days was still plenty for me, as I was making nearly fifteen dollars an hour plus tips. 

Almost as soon as I finally got back from getting all my things, classes started up at Juilliard. I was up to my neck in homework, and my flute lessons were beginning to shine light on the fact that I hadn’t had any serious flute lessons in a while. I had taken to practicing for nearly an hour every day, trying to only do it when Mark was recording or away. He claimed he loved my music, but I knew he’d get irritated with me playing the same three songs over and over again, especially if it was for one giant concert to take place only four months away.

One night, as I was finishing up some homework, Mark sprung on me the idea of him leaving for a tour.

“What?” I asked, not processing the question.

“I asked if you’d be okay with me putting together a tour, and going on it,” Mark repeated. “I haven’t done one in almost two years, and I really do need to get back out there. It wouldn’t be a huge one, just one in the States. The group would only be gone about two months.”

“Two months??” I asked, my heart dropping. “You’re going to up and leave for two months?”

“You’ll be fine expense-wise,” Mark hurried out. “You’re making loads at Cream & Sugar, and if you have my credit card information if you need anything beyond that.”

“Money isn’t an issue, Mark, you know I don’t care how much you have,” I said, rubbing my temples. “I don’t want you to leave for two months, when there’s no chance of me being able to go with you or even fly out for a visit while you’re on the road.”

Mark frowned. “I just said I hadn’t gone on tour in like two years,” he argued. “How much longer do you want me to wait?”

“I don’t want you to have to put it off for me, Mark,” I said. “I know that contradicts exactly what I just said about you leaving, but what if I need help with something?”

“I – I can have my mom come stay with you,” he said. “You two still haven’t met, she’d love you.”

“I’d feel horrible leaving her on her own for the majority of the time,” I snipped. “Between work and school I wouldn’t have any time to offer her.”

Mark threw his hands up. “What do you want me to do, then, y/n? You don’t want me to go, you don’t want me to not go, make up your mind!”

“Maybe if you hadn’t sprung this on me in the middle of January, while I have more study guide work than I know what to do with,” I snapped back. “I’m working my ass off trying to ‘fulfill my potential,’ the way _you_ pushed me to do!”

Mark glared at me. “Don’t blame this on me. You wanted this as much as I did.”

“I did, you know I did. I’m not going to argue that. But I didn’t expect to finally get into the swing of things and then be left high and dry while you went and traveled the country with your friends!”

“I’m trying to give back to the fans, y/n,” he said, pushing back from the table. “I thought you’d be more understanding.”

“I’m trying to be!” I yelled, frustrated. “You know I want you to support your fans and do everything you can for them. But I need you too, Mark, and it seems like you don’t think of that!”

He went back to the bedroom in a huff, without even responding to what I’d accused him of. I heard him slam the door, and I groaned, letting my head drop into my hands. 

How was I going to deal with any of this?

(Mark’s POV)

_“I need you too, Mark, and it seems like you don’t think of that!”_

Her words kept running themselves on repeat through my head, and I couldn’t really argue with that. I hadn’t thought about her needing me. I assumed she’d be supportive, the way she’d always been. I felt like shit. Ever since I’d decided I wanted to propose, all I seemed to be doing was avoiding her. I hadn’t even gone to look at rings or anything. I also remembered we hadn’t even been together an entire year yet, and who knows how long it’d be before we actually got around to getting married.

I sighed, flopping back on the bed. It wasn’t really any wonder y/n needed me, since she hadn’t really spoken with her parents since their blowup about her school transfer. 

I put my arm over my eyes, trying not to think about anything. I loved y/n, I would do anything to keep her happy. But I knew, and she knew, that my fans were also important to me, and that I needed to give back to them sometimes too.

I had no idea how I was going to make a decision, but I knew I needed to start by apologizing to my girl. No decision I made was going to sit right unless we were okay.

I went back to the living room, where y/n was sitting, sniffling over a pile of homework so large I couldn’t believe I’d missed it before.

“Y/N, baby, don’t cry,” I said, feeling my chest tighten.

“I’m sorry I’m so selfish,” she blubbered. “I know you need to give back to your fans, I shouldn’t—I shouldn’t have been so—so mad.”

“No, no, no, don’t cry,” I repeated, feeling worse by the second. “I understand where you’re coming from, I promise I do. We’ll talk something out, okay? We’ll find a compromise or something. I love you.”

She rubbed at her eyes, and a yawn got caught between her staggered breaths and started a coughing fit.

I brought her some water as she calmed down, and she drank the entire glass in one go. I sat there, rubbing her back, until she was okay enough to formulate a response.

“What—what if you went on tour for one month, came back for a month, and then finished the tour—finished the tour over the next month?” she said after a moment of silence.

“That’s actually a really good idea,” I agreed. “I won’t be gone as long, and I can come back and be with you for a good amount of time in between. It’ll give the rest of us a break too.”

Y/N smiled at me, her breaths finally steady and normal. “God, we argue like idiots.”

I smiled, leaning over to kiss her head. “Yeah, but at least we resolve said arguments like semi-adults.”

She breathed out a laugh at that, and I felt more relieved than I had all day.

“Maybe we’ll start the tour here in New York City,” I suggested. “Then you can come along to the first two or three shows, because they’ll be right here in town, and we’ll still be able to be together for the first week of the tour.”

She nodded. “That’d be great. Do you think the guys would be willing to start down here since it’s where you live?”

“If we can get a tour together, they don’t care where we start as long as we have all the details together before we start.”

Y/N nodded again. “That sounds good. Do you need my help planning anything?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think I will. Amy and Katheryn are super good at getting the venues we need for the dates we need them. The guys and I usually put together the lineup for the show, and Sean figures out on his own when or if he can join us. Usually the last two London shows, but I want to keep this one in the States, so we’ll work on something. But if we need anything else, you’ll be the first person we call.”

She smiled again. “I love you, Mark.”

“I love you too, babe,” I responded.

She sighed as she went back about her schoolwork, and I returned to my recording room, where my Skype group chat with Jack, Bob, Wade, Tyler, and Ethan was continuing to blow up. Each of them had their own signature on the end of their messages, making it slightly annoying to read through.

**Tyler: Are we keeping this one in the States? I don’t know if I have the money to travel beyond that right now. ~smile always~**

**Ethan: That’s what Mark said whenever he was actually contributing to the chat, lol >>crankey crew!<<**

**Jack: I’ll only be able to make it to the California shows then, I don’t have the time to be with you guys through the whole country. **MORNIN’ LADS****

**Tyler: Where are we starting this whole shebang off, then? New York? That’s where Mark lives now, anyways ~smile always~**

**Wade: It makes sense. We’ll have to travel to Mark to start the show, and he’ll have to travel to our towns to end it. (((minions)))**

**Bob: Right. Do we have dates for this?? /lol CHANGE\** ********

At this point, I decided to finally jump back into the chat and make them aware of my desire to do it in two one-month segments. 

******Mark: Y/N really needs my presence and help around at this point. I was thinking we’d tour for two months total, but tour for one month, take a one-month break, and then finish the tour in the next month. That way we still tour everywhere we want to, but I won’t be away from her as long, and we can take a break and not be go-go-go the entire two months.** ** **

******Tyler: That actually makes a lot of sense. I’m down with that. ~smile always~** ** **

******Ethan: That’d be great for me. I’m actually in the middle of recording a series for YouTube Red, and only taking two one-month segments off would work wonders for me. >>crankey crew!<<** ** **

******Bob: Great idea, Mark. This’ll be much easier on all of us as a whole. /lol, CHANGE.\** ** **

******Wade: I’m good with that. (((minions)))** ** **

******Mark: If you guys don’t all turn off your signatures I’m going to cry. They’re so annoying.** ** **

******Wade: Geez, okay, Mr. Sassy.** ** **

******Ethan: NeVeR!!!! >>crankey crew!<<** ** **

******Tyler: I don’t even know how to turn it off XD ~smile always~** ** **

******Mark: Jesus, it’s like I’m in a group chat with five fourteen-year-olds.** ** **

******Wade: Hey!!** ** **

******Ethan: At least we’re not the height of average fourteen-year-olds. >>crankey crew!<<** ** **

******Bob: OOOHHHH ROASTED.** ******** ** **

I ended up signing off, overwhelmed with them and the prospect of throwing a whole new tour together. I always came up with the name of the tour itself, so I had to think of something funny. I hated that part. I could never think of anything good, and by the time I thought of one that was genuinely good, I’d already settled on something mediocre and it was too late to change it.

I went back into the kitchen as y/n closed her notebooks. 

“Are you done?” I asked, hopeful. 

“Pretty much,” she replied. “I just have to type a couple things up. Other than that I’m good to go.” 

I smiled. “Dinner time?” 

She smiled back at me, though her smile was considerably more tired. “Dinner time.” 

We set about cooking in the kitchen, y/n humming an unrecognizable tune as she went. I chopped up some garlic as she cooked the meat, and after sautéing it to perfection, we heated up some bread in the oven and microwaved some frozen broccoli. 

We made small talk about y/n’s homework and tedious flute practices, and I talked about some possible tour names, all of them she shot down simply by scrunching up her nose at each idea.

“Do you not like any of them?” I asked. 

She shrugged. “Tours are for the Boys was adequate, but I just feel like you could do a lot better. Especially since Amy, Katheryn, and I are going to be at some of the shows too.” 

I sighed. “I wish I had better ideas.” 

"You don’t always have to do it yourself,” y/n reminded me. “Look up some puns on the Internet. Ask the other guys for ideas. Hell, ask Amy, Katheryn, or me for ideas. You don’t wanna come up with a genius idea two weeks after the tour starts.” 

I chuckled. “That’s unfortunately what I end up doing a lot of the time.” 

She giggled. “I know.” 

A thought struck me as I stood up to help her begin to clear the table. “Have you ever been to any of my tour shows?” 

She nodded. “Just once, when you were in Chicago. My parents and I planned to go there on vacation anyway, and when I learned you were going to be in Chicago while we were there, I begged my parents to plan a night around that so we could go. My parents didn’t want to go, but they weren’t about to let me go by myself, since I had like just turned eighteen. I was really upset about that, especially since it was September by this time and I’d turned eighteen the April before. So we ended up bringing Allison with us, and the two of us went to your Chicago show and had the time of our lives.” 

I smiled. “That sounds super cool.” 

She nodded. “It was. If you had told me that less than three years later I’d be living with Markiplier, as, like, his _girlfriend_ , I would’ve told you that you were out of your mind. Granted, I would’ve killed for that at the time, but I didn’t ever believe it was more than just a crazy fantasy at that point.” 

“Wow,” I said simply. “How wild is that? What if we’d ended up meeting at that show, instead of online two years later?” 

That would’ve been pretty cool,” she agreed. “I mean, I was dating around a lot at that time, but nothing ever went beyond like three dates for me. It was fall break from college that year, so we still wouldn’t have been able to see each other again for a while after that.” 

I shrugged. “Still would’ve been cool.” 

She smiled and agreed. “Now help me finish cleaning up, doofus.” 

I laughed as I did just that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay. so, I do need to say that updating is obviously going to be less often and more staggered than I've been promising for so long. between work and school and church and youth group and Bible study stuff, it's so busy that I barely have time to write, let alone upload. i'm very sorry.
> 
> I WILL STILL BE UPDATING. i'm not leaving, don't misunderstand me. updates will just be slow in coming, essentially the way they've been since I started this book, like, last December. 
> 
> however! I would like to wrap this book up around chapter 40, and we're on chapter 27. so hopefully I can make the plot come full circle and wrap up in what is hopefully a satisfying conclusion that provides as much closure as possible. i'd like to write more mark fanfiction in the future, but i'm not planning on a sequel for this one.
> 
>  
> 
> anyway! I hope you like this chapter. leave a comment, leave a kudos, enjoy the story as it is. I've got chapter 28 in the works, so keep an eye out!!!
> 
> thanks for not being super hateful about slow updates. it means a lot, lol.


	28. The One Where The Tour Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tour begins in this chapter. You attend Mark's NYC show, and a little bit of hanky-panky goes down. But how does he respond to certain questions that are asked about his future with you?

Once my classes settled out, it was a little easier to help Mark finalize things for his tour. Sure, I wasn’t too happy that he was still going to be leaving for a few weeks at a time, but I knew this was where his passion was, and I wasn’t about to be the one to get in between him and his dreams.

The night before the tour was to start off in New York City, Mark and I were laying in bed, discussing a few random odds and ends.

“What d’you think of sitting front row?” he asked, tracing a finger over my bare arm as we laid in the dark.

“If it’s roped off, and only Amy, Katheryn, and I are there, sure,” I said with a chuckle.

“You don’t want to sit with the fans?” Mark asked, sounding miffed.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Mark, I’m sure your fans are lovely,” I said quickly. “But with my luck, I’d end up sitting with an entire row of my haters. And God only knows how bad they would get.”

“Babe, if they get too bad, I can call them out from stage,” he pointed out.

“But that’s only going to embarrass them and make them angrier at me,” I responded. “I’ll just sit backstage the way almost everyone else does.”

Mark sighed, exasperated. “Fine, okay. Whatever makes you feel the safest,” he said, leaning over me to kiss my temple. “I don’t want to argue about this anyway, it’s a dumb thing to argue about.”

I smiled as I rolled over to face him. “Thank you,” I mumbled.

He kissed my forehead then, pulling me closer into his embrace. “I love you,” he said quietly. 

“I love you too,” I said with a smile.

“So tomorrow’s April 2nd, you know,” Mark said thoughtfully, making eye contact. “A very important date is coming up in about three weeks.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s just my birthday, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Wrong,” Mark said firmly. “Not only is it your birthday, which is important in and of itself, but it is your twenty-first birthday, which is a milestone. We have to celebrate and stuff.”

“Who are we even gonna invite if we throw a party?” I asked. “I haven’t spoken to my parents in months, my brothers are back in Oregon, and all your YouTuber friends are just that. Your friends.”

“Baby,” Mark said, sounding a little sad. “Those are exactly the people we’d invite. Your brothers, your friends, my friends, hell, if you wanted, we could go back to Oregon just to make sure your friends can attend.”

I sighed. It made sense, but I wasn’t sure I even wanted to make my birthday a big deal. “You’re going to be on tour, Mark,” I reminded him. “How are you going to be on tour and planning a birthday party all at the same time?”

“I’m sure the boys will be able to help,” Mark said reassuringly. “They’ll be willing to help, they love you. Besides, Jack and Signe just broke up, he’ll probably want to get his mind onto something else.”

“Alright,” I said, finally giving in. “I don’t want a huge thing though. Maybe just a dinner party, or something.”

“A dinner party with fifty guests?” Mark said, snickering a bit. “I don’t think so. How about we rent out a club and spend the evening dancing?”

“A whole club?” I asked, astounded. “Do you know how expensive that’s gonna be?”

“I figured it would, so I looked it up before I brought it up,” he said somewhat smugly. “And Glacier, that nightclub right across town, is only three hundred for a night without a personal bartender, and four-fifty with one. The premium package is six hundred, which comes with a personal bartender, DJ, and clean-up crew afterward. And you get to give the DJ your own playlist.”

“So for six hundred dollars, we’d not only have the whole club to ourselves, we’d have a bartender and a DJ, and we wouldn’t have to clean up after ourselves?” I asked.

“Exactly, babe, we’d be living like kings,” he said, putting his hands behind his head. “And for your birthday? Your twenty-first birthday at that? Six hundred dollars is but a penny in my eyes. For the love of my life, almost nothing is too much.”

“Almost,” I teased, giggling.

“I love you, baby,” he said, leaning over to kiss my forehead.

“I love you too, dork,” I replied.

“So you put together a guest list, and we can figure out how to get people here,” he said as he pulled me in close. 

I smiled to myself as I wrapped my arms back around him. “Alright, baby.”

When I awoke the next morning, Mark was already out of bed. The clock said it was after ten, and as I sat up in bed I saw the open, half-full suitcase on the floor.

I sighed as I swung my legs over the side of the bed, hopping up to begin the day. I was glad Mark was getting this opportunity, but deep down I knew I’d miss him terribly.

I found him in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal and scrolling through his phone.

“Your suitcase is only half-full, sir,” I said, leaning against the wall. He looked up at me. “I know.”

“Do you need help packing?” I asked, circling around the island to look at him better. 

“No.”

“Okay.”

His one-word response was weird, but I knew he was most likely just trying to ignore the fact that after tonight, he wouldn’t see me for a month.

“I’m sorry, baby, come here,” he whined, pushing his bowl away.

I chuckled as I walked into his embrace, and he proceeded to bury his face in my neck.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he whined dramatically as he pulled me in tighter.

“I’m gonna miss you too, babe,” I said softly. “Only twenty-seven days, though, yeah?”

He sighed into my neck. “I guess.”

“And then we’ll celebrate my birthday, and we’ll have the whole rest of April to spend together. Then you’ll go back off, and be back the day before your birthday, and we can celebrate your twenty-fourth!”

He sat up finally, and kissed me gently. “I love you,” he mumbled.

“I love you,” I said, taking his face in my hands and kissing him again.

The next few hours went by in a blur. Packing, a few aggravated words, more packing, and the struggle to get the huge suitcase into the trunk of the cab seemed to make everything hit. He was leaving, and I knew I’d be at the show that night, but I also knew that after that I wouldn’t see him for almost a full month, after nearly three months of spending almost every waking hour by his side. Which sucked, but this was his job.

We arrived at the venue with an hour and a half to spare. The boys hadn’t quite arrived yet, which gave us time to lie on the couch in his dressing room, just cuddling and enjoying the other’s company in a comatose silence.

“The rest of the crew isn’t due for another thirty minutes,” Mark said eventually, running his fingers up and down my back at a tantalizing speed.

“Mm,” I mumbled, snuggling in closer to him. “Did you have suggestions other than cuddling?”

“Yeah,” he said simply, rolling me over so I was more on top of him.

“I thought we could fuck.”

My eyes widened slightly. “You’re not serious,” I said with a chuckle. “Anyone could walk in.”

Mark shuffled me off of him, standing and walking over to the door. He pushed the lock in with a click, and looked back at me with his eyebrows raised. 

“Well?”

I suppressed a giggle, sitting up and pulling off my shirt. “Just make it quick, alright?”

*****SMUT STARTS HERE*****

He smirked as he walked back over to me, taking his own shirt off in the process. He swung his leg over both of mine so he was straddling me, and reached behind me to rather easily take off my bra.

“When did you get so good at taking off someone’s bra?” I asked with a chuckle.

A light blush filled Mark’s cheeks. “I was practicing with yours,” he muttered. He quickly recovered, shimmying his pants down his legs. He reached into the back pocket to pull out a condom, and I propped myself up on my elbows.

“Do you always have one of those with you?” I asked.

“Only if you’re with me, baby,” he said, tapping my nose with his index finger. “Now hush, save your voice.”

He pulled my pants down and put one finger inside me, using his thumb to rub circles on my clit. I breathed heavily, careful not to make any noise.

Mark pulled his own pants down, kissing me soundly before continuing.

“You’re sure you’re good?” he breathed, watching my eyes as I nodded firmly.

He tore open the condom, pulling it down over his length. Then, without much other warning, he slid directly into me.

I gasped as he continued to ram into me, my nails digging into the skin on his forearms.

He groaned as he picked up the pace, and I followed suit by bringing my hips up ever so slightly.

We stayed just like that for several minutes, until he climaxed rather loudly and pulled out.

He could tell I hadn’t quite finished, because he pulled off the used condom and proceeded to pull me closer to him by my legs as he used his tongue to finish what his length hadn’t.

*****SMUT OVER*****

Five minutes later we were making our way back to the green room, hair messy and eyes relaxed, to find nearly everyone already in the room.

I smiled at Amy and Katheryn, and they welcomed me over happily. The boys roughhoused with each other for a bit before they went out on stage.

I watched Mark as he bounced around on stage, his voice happy and his eyes lit up like there was no tomorrow.

Their skits, games, audience interaction, along with everything else, made me fall in love with him just a little bit more with every minute that passed. I watched as they pranced about the stage, as every little thing they did was clearly adored by the fans who had come out to watch them.

“We’re gonna go out on stage,” Amy said to Katheryn and me after a bit.

My heart rate spiked as she said that. “What? Why?”

“Because they know we’re here,” she explained. “They love doing proper Q and A’s, with literally everyone. They ask us editing questions all the time, it’s fun most of the time.”

“We’ll defend you if anyone thinks to say something bad,” Katheryn said, clearly sensing my discomfort. “You don’t have to worry. Not a whole lot of people even really acknowledge your relationship too much.”

I chuckled. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Katheryn laughed. “In the sweetest way possible.”

A few minutes later, true to Amy’s word, we walked out on stage at the beckoning of Mark and the chants of the crowd. I tried to rearrange my hair before walking out, but getting “gently” nudged by Katheryn left it even messier than before.

Of course, the first question for me was directed at my hair.

“I was trying to fix it,” I admitted, scrambling for an excuse as to why it was messy in the first place. I could see Mark’s expression was near panic, not wanting to reveal that we’d managed to get away with doing each other in a room just next to the one our group had been in.

“You would not believe how much this girl moves when she falls asleep,” Amy cut in with a laugh. “She fell asleep backstage for a bit, and it’s a wonder her hair looks as good as it does.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, hoping to catch Amy’s eye to show her at least some gratitude. I did, but she just returned my look with a smile that told me she knew all too well why she’d had to butt in.

After a few more questions, one directed at Mark had both Mark and me confused, and me more alert with concern.

“Mark, is it true that you’re planning on proposing to y/n?”

Mark looked startled. “I mean, if things go the way I want I’d love to marry her someday,” he said, only slightly avoiding the question. “Where did you hear that I have proposal plans now?”

The young girl shrugged her shoulders innocently enough. “It’s all over the internet, really.”

Mark rubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t confirm those rumors, they’re not from a reliable source.”

I watched him more closely for the rest of our time on stage, as his demeanor towards me was still loving, but he physically distanced himself. Amy, Katheryn, and I went back to our backstage seats about ten minutes later, and the show itself ended half an hour after that. The boys streamed backstage, a couple of them sweaty, but Mark’s eyes alight with slight panic.

“Where’s y/n?” he asked repeatedly. Amy finally pointed me out to him, and he came over and knelt in front of me.

“You know I’m not never going to propose, baby,” he murmured, his hands on my knees.

“I know that,” I said softly, putting my hands on his face. “But you neither answered the question properly nor denied the rumors themselves, that’s all.”

He paled slightly, but recovered quickly. “Even if I was planning on proposing soon, I couldn’t spoil the surprise, you know,” he said, planting a kiss on my head as he stood up. “Now come on, we’re all going for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.”

So we did. And when I returned to our apartment later that night, exhausted and by myself, I smiled. Not because I was going to be by myself for the next three weeks, but because I wasn’t really by myself. I always had Mark.

And whether or not he was going to propose in a month or in eighty months, we’d always have each other.

I felt slightly nauseous as I went to bed that night, but I put it off to how much cheesecake I had actually managed to consume. I know it’s really stereotypical, but I love cheesecake, so cut me some slack, alright?

I wished Mark a safe flight as I turned out the lights in our room, snuggling under the covers by myself.

Sure wish I’d known how those next three weeks were gonna go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoooooooo i'm back! I never said I was taking a hiatus or anything but I really should have. I just dipped for so long and I'm sorry about that. there's so much to discuss! I start my new job at Panera today, i'm not failing any of my classes in school, everything in life is decent right now. so hopefully i'll be able to get another chapter out this week. this was more of a filler chapter, and those are always harder for me to write. the story is going to start picking up again, so stay tuned!!


	29. Y/N Finds Out a Rather Panic-Inducing Event Is Occurring and Doesn’t Know How to Handle It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two words: pregnancy test.

(Y/N’S POV)

It’d been two weeks to the day since Mark left for his tour. I’d been keeping up with him as much as possible, with social media and whatnot. He’d made his way to Florida already, with two shows there before moving over to Georgia.

I wasn’t worried about him. Well, I mean, of course I was worried, for his safety and all, but I wasn’t really scared for him or anything.

It was me I was worried about. Don’t get me wrong, school was going great and all, in fact, it was going much better than I knew even my mother would want to admit.

But my period was six days late.

Now, it had been late and early before, but according to my tracker app, it was six days late. 

Of course, if I factored in that I was always early when I went by the app, I was…nine days late.

I knew we’d used a condom, the same way we had every time we’d done anything. But he’d pulled it out of his wallet, so who knows how old that thing was? Maybe it’d malfunctioned, or broken…but I didn’t want to consider anything like that. I pushed the thought aside as I headed out to the nearest supermarket.

My heart was pounding as I searched through the pharmacy section, realizing I didn’t even know where to look for a pregnancy test.

 _You don’t even know where to find a pregnancy test,_ I thought to myself. _You’re nowhere near ready to actually be pregnant._

I knew I wasn’t ready to be pregnant, but I finally found the tests. After poring over each of them, I decided to go with the one that would just say “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant” on a little screen instead of confusing myself with tiny blue lines. I bought three of them, just so I could do like a two-out-of-three type situation.

I called Allison on my drive home, near tears as I explained my situation to her.

“Do you want me to fly out there when you take it?” she asked. “Iris and I can be over there by noon on Saturday if you’d prefer to wait.”

I sat back in my chair. “That would be amazing, but I can’t just sit around not knowing for that long, it’d drive me insane.”

“Alright girl, you do you,” she said. “Call me with results, alright? We’ll fly down anyway this weekend, or at least I’ll try to. Pregnant or not, you sound like you need the company.”

I sighed with relief. “I think I do,” I admitted. “I’ll call you once I’ve taken it, and I’ll let you know.”

She agreed, and we said our goodbyes as I turned into the parking garage.

With my head spinning and my panic rising, I entered the bathroom, quickly took the tests, set a timer, and ran to the kitchen.

My phone rang suddenly, causing me to jump. Mark’s name was displayed on the screen, but I couldn’t talk to him in this state. Not until I knew for sure what the test’s outcome was.

I let it ring through and put it on the charger on the other side of the room, in case he called again.

I paced the kitchen for what felt like years before I heard that damn timer ring.

I took a deep breath before entering the bathroom again, and with a shaking hand I picked up the first test.

_Pregnant._

My heart rate skyrocketed and I threw it in the general direction of the trashcan and picked up the second one.

_Pregnant._

In a nearly full-blown panic I chucked the second one. I think it landed somewhere in the bathtub.

I picked up the third one, knowing what it would say. And sure enough, there one word stood:

_Pregnant._

I bolted for the living room again, picking up my phone and group-calling Allison and Iris.

They both picked up at the same time, and it was obvious Allison had already taken the time to clue Iris in.

“Well?” Allison asked. “You took more than one, right?”

“Three,” I mumbled, not sure how I was still functioning.

“And?”

“All of them…all of them were positive,” I blurted out.

Both of them gasped. “Iris, you’re packed, right?” Allison asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’m picking you up in twenty minutes, we’re taking that flight to NYC tonight,” Allison said. “Y/N, don’t do anything. Do you understand? Don’t call Mark. Don’t do anything on social media. Wait until we get there.”

“Okay…okay…okay,” I said over and over, still in a deep state of shock.

“We’ll get to your place around one AM, if that’s alright with you,” Allison finished. “We can stay at a hotel if you want us to wait and come tomorrow morning.”

“I want you here as soon as possible,” I said loudly, beginning to blubber annoyingly as tears filled my eyes.

“Okay, okay babe, we’ll go straight to your place then,” Iris hurried out. “Don’t worry about it.”

I tried to take some deep breaths, and it helped at first but the tears just kept coming.

“Y/N,” Allison said more firmly. “Take a shower, and take a nap. We’ll call you when we get to your building so you can let us in. Don’t let yourself freak out, we’ll figure this out together.”

I nodded, attempting to voice a confirming response, and although I don’t know what I said, they must’ve understood me, because they wished me luck and hung up.

I stood in the shower for what felt like ages, before getting out and wrapping myself in the fluffiest robe my closet had to offer.

I sat on the couch, in the dark, staring out the big picture window Mark and I had oohed and ahh-ed over just a few months before. The minutes on the clock ticked past at an agonizingly slow pace, and I received a text from Allison at precisely 12:16 AM.

Allison: Just landed. Uber says we’ll arrive in 24 minutes if the traffic stays this light. Sit tight, we’ll be there soon.

I nodded to myself in the dark room, sending a quick text back. 

Me: can’t sleep, so just text when you get here. thx.

I didn’t count the minutes, but it felt like they were in my living room only seconds later.

They spent a solid ten minutes just hugging me, one of them on either side of me on the couch.

“First and foremost, y/n, do you think you’ll be able to finish school with a baby?”

“School,” I breathed. “I could probably manage, I mean, I only have classes four days a week. Mark would watch him or her, you know…if Mark even wants to stay with me once he finds out…”

“Don’t think like that, y/n,” Iris pleaded. “He loves you, he won’t leave you just because you’re carrying his child.”

I sniffled. “He’s got his whole life ahead of him still, he isn’t even twenty-four yet. How badly is a baby going to fuck that up?”

“Y/N, don’t talk like that,” Iris reiterated. “We’ll be here no matter what, you know that. Besides, if Mark does leave you, you can sue him eventually if he doesn’t pay child support.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want him to leave me at all!” I cried. “I’ve always wanted a baby. But I’m twenty years old. I’m not even legally allowed to drink, but I’m going to be a mother in less than a year. How am I supposed to juggle a child, school, and work?”

Allison and Iris sighed. “With us so far away,” Allison began, “we can’t really give you a whole lot of advice. We can’t offer to be available for babysitting whenever, and we can’t really even offer alternatives because this is the first time either of us have been out here. But we can assure you that you have us, no matter what, and we’ll always be here for you, whether you move back home or not.”

I rolled my eyes. “My parents are angry enough that I’m out here in New York, going to Juilliard. Do you even realize how furious they’d be if they found out I’d gotten pregnant on top of all of that?”

Allison nodded. “They wouldn’t let you move back in even if you wanted to.”

“I’d have to renounce every dream I’ve ever had, all in front of them,” I said, leaning into Allison’s embrace. “I’d probably have to get rid of the baby, too.”

Iris gasped. “You can’t go home, then!” she cried.

I smiled. “I don’t want to get rid of this child,” I said, placing my hands on my stomach, even though there wouldn’t be any visible baby bump for a while. “I’m just worried Mark will want to.”

Allison squeezed me a little tighter. “I’ll be here to castrate him if he even suggests it.”

I smiled again. “Now all I need to do is clean up the bathroom. I’m pretty sure I kinda just threw the tests everywhere.”

Allison laughed. “Only you, girl, only you.”

(Mark’s POV)

I was getting worried. I’d called y/n three different times that day, with no answer to any of them. I knew her work schedule by heart, even if she’d been called in, she’d be home by now.

“Mark, you alright?” Ethan asked, coming into the trailer as I sat and looked at my phone.

“I think so,” I said uncertainly. “It’s just that y/n hasn’t answered any of my calls today, and I’m a little worried.”

“Try again,” Ethan said. “Maybe she’s just gone without her phone today.”

“It’s almost 2 AM, she should be asleep by now,” I argued.

“Well, try anyway,” he suggested. “Worst-case she doesn’t answer, best-case she answers and sounds sleepy.”

I sighed. I was incredibly worried about y/n, though I’d hardly admit it to Ethan of all people first. So I clicked on the call button, and held the phone to my ear in anticipation.

She answered on the fourth ring, but she sounded far more awake than I expected.

“Y/N?” I asked. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

“Allison and Iris are here,” she explained.

“Not that I mind, but why?” I asked.

“Oh, um…” she trailed off. “They just came in to…surprise me, that’s all, they missed me.”

Although I doubted her response slightly, due to her change in tone, I seceded. “Alright, babe. I was just worried about you because you hadn’t answered any of my other calls.”

“Oh,” she said, almost too nonchalantly. “I’m sorry about that. I was…called into work and then took a nap once they let me go home.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t hear me. “Is everything alright with you?”

“Yep!” she answered, far too quickly. “I’m great. Everything’s fine over here!”

“Babe, you can tell me if something’s wrong, that’s kind of how relationships work.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said, still a little too cheerful. “I’ll see you in two weeks, alright?”

“Okay, baby. I’ll call you after our show tonight, alright?”

“Sounds good. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said earnestly.

We finished our goodbyes and hung up, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“She answered but I feel like she wasn’t telling the truth when she was saying nothing was wrong,” I told Ethan. Tyler, who had also just entered the trailer, shrugged.

“Maybe she’s just had too much sugar or something,” he said with a chuckle. “You know how females are when they get together. They drink Monsters, eat too many powdered donuts, and talk shit about the bad sex they’ve had.”

I laughed. “Maybe you’re right. I’m probably just overthinking it. I think it’s bedtime.”

The boys agreed, and we walked to our bunks to join Bob and Wade, who were both already sound asleep. We stayed silent as we got into our own bunks, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

I desperately hoped Tyler was right, and that y/n’s sugar levels were just off the charts, but I knew my y/n. I wasn’t saying I didn’t trust Tyler, he’d had his fair share of girl experience. I just liked to think that I knew y/n a little better than Tyler did, considering he hadn’t even formally met her. None of them had, actually. Only Amy and Katheryn had interacted with her while I wasn’t around. I’d introduced her, sure, and they would know her to see her, but they’d never really interacted with each other, with or without me. 

I rolled over, trying (and failing) to find sleep. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly for a while, so I got up and left the tour bus, just ambling around in circles around the bus itself, mainly so I didn’t walk anywhere else and get lost in the middle of Miami. 

After what felt like a hundred laps around the giant bus, I checked the time again. It was 3:55, and we’d be starting out for Georgia in just two hours. 

I climbed back on the bus, trying not to make too much noise as I slid back into my bunk. Sleep came more quickly this time, as I’d exhausted myself, but it seemed like only seconds later that the bus lurched forward, nearly throwing me out of my bed.

“Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead,” Ethan said with a laugh as I groaned, rubbing my eyes. I had slept almost exactly two hours, and it felt more like I’d taken a mediocre nap and less like I’d actually slept overnight.

I pulled my phone off the charger. Sure enough, it was 6:16 AM, and we were on the road for Georgia. We had a day off before we got there, but we still wanted to get there with extra time so we could do a little sightseeing. 

I sat on the couch in the back of the bus and looked out the window as the miles passed by. I missed y/n, and I couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling at the back of my head that something was wrong, or at least there was something more going on that she wasn’t letting on to.

I checked social media for any updates from y/n, but the only thing she posted was a selfie of her with Allison and Iris, the caption reading “there is nothing I would not do for someone who is truly my friend.”

I glanced around at the background of the photo, hoping that I’d catch something that seemed out of place. But they weren’t even in the apartment. Her geo tag read that they were in Times Square, and the background looked more like a restaurant.

I sighed, but I liked the photo and left a cute comment, just letting her know I loved her and that she was adorable. I clicked off my phone, setting it aside and continuing to let my mind wander as we passed from Florida into Georgia. I couldn’t think of anything that y/n would be keeping from me besides possibly a surprise birthday party, and at that realization my heart settled. 

I smiled to myself as I felt myself fall back to sleep on that couch, knowing my y/n loved me and that I never should’ve doubted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo, 2 updates in a month! i'm on fire!! anyway, i've started a new job, it's going pretty well, i can't really complain. plus i'm making $125 for playing piano for like six students for their district competition so life is pretty grand rn. i'll be able to get my nintendo switch soon, hopefully. i'll have to restart skyrim for like the eightieth time but it's gucci.  
> anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! yes, y/n is pregnant, but keep in mind a few chapters ago where mark decided he wanted to propose! so that'll all come to what i hope is a satisfying end.   
> see you soon!


End file.
